Prisoners (Discontinued)
by Spartan259
Summary: Will and Evanlyn have been captured by the Scandians. Through their agonizing journey, they become each other's only bright spots while most everyone wants nothing more than their suffering. Jarl Erak is forced to confront his very ideas on right and wrong, while the only thing keeping Will and Evanlyn going is the bonds of friendship and love forged in the most horrible of places.
1. The Burning Bridge

**Prisoners**

**Chapter One**

**"The Burning Bridge"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters.**

**(A/N: I have noticed that there's not nearly enough Will/Cass stories here. I personally ship them and think that they're the best couple in the series, hence why I actually like _Icebound Land. _Anyways, enjoy the story and please review.)**

* * *

"Will!" Evanlyn yelled as a warning.

She was too late, a large, jagged rock collided with the head of the apprentice ranger. Will let out a grunt of surprise before falling to the ground unconscious, dark blood seeping from the wound n his head.

The girl dropped the saxe knife she had lent from Will and picked up the fallen apprentice's bow. She attempted to nock an arrow but the surrounding Scandians had closed in around her and knocked the bow from her hands. She attempted to break free from the Scandian holding her but it was to no avail. Next to her, Will lay still on the hard ground. Evanlyn let out an anguished and angry sob when another burly Scandian picked Will up and slung him over his shoulder. Moments later the massive, burning bridge plummeted into the fissure below.

* * *

Will's eyes slowly fluttered open, his head hurting an abnormal amount as a rhythmic thudding resonated in his head. As his vision cleared, he saw that his sight completely blocked by a sheepskin vest and woolen leggings. Will let out an audible groan that man carrying him seemed to hear.

"Erak," he called, "he's awake."

The man then proceeded to roughly set Will down. The leader of the group, Erak, leaned down to examine him. Will felt his eyes being opened by a thick thumb that was nether cruel nor gentle.

"Hmmm," the Scandian leader observed, "looks like he's been concussed; good throw, Nordal."

The man Erak had praised beamed with pride.

"Grew up hunting seals that way, I did," said the giant of a man.

Erak released his eyelid and walked away. Moments later, Will felt a far softer, gentler touch on his face. Will opened his eyes again and found himself looking into Evanlyn's striking, green eyes. She softly stroked his forehead, concern written on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Will stared nodding but quickly realized that this was not a good idea.

"Fine," Will managed.

"Where's Horace?" he asked.

Evanlyn put a finger to her lips.

"He got away when the bridge collapsed," she whispered

"We did it then? The bridge is gone?" Will said with relief.

This time, Evanlyn nodded, a smile even graced her face.

_She's so pretty when she smiles, _thought Will.

"It's gone, well and truly," said Evanlyn.

They both smiled at each other, staring deeply into each other's eyes.

"And no thanks you'll get from Morgarath," Erak told them

Will's happy thoughts were quickly dashed, a twinge of fear going through as he heard his name. Erak then turned to face his group.

"We'll take a break," he said, "Maybe our friend here will be up to walking in an hour or so."

The Scandians sat down and took food and drinks from their bags. They tossed them each a small flask of water and a loaf of bread.

As they ate, Will overheard Erak saying that they should abandon the raid, that it was all coming apart. At first, his men disagreed but as Erak continued to point out that there would little to no profit from this raid. That got his men's attention; they decided to high tail it through the fens to Horth's ships; and that they would be taking Will and Evanlyn with them.

Erak approach the two hostages.

"Can you walk?" he asked Will, "or do you need Nordal to carry you again?"

Will stood up quickly, despite the immense pain.

"I think I'll walk," said Will defiantly.

Erak looked at him with respect in his eyes.

"Yes," he said, "I daresay you will."

* * *

Later, when the group to a stop once more, Erak spotted a group of horsemen riding towards their position. He ordered Will and Evanlyn to hide behind one of the larger rocks surrounding them; he also informed them that the man on the white horse was Morgarath himself. The lord of Rain and Night rode up to Erak.

"Captain Erak, where are you bound?" he asked in a silky yet commanding tone.

As the man spoke, he felt Evanlyn shiver beside him; he promptly wrapped an arm around her in an attempt to comfort the girl.

"My title, Lord Morgarath," said Erak in a falsely even tone, "is not captain, but Jarl."

"Well then," replied the cold voice of Morgarath, "I must try to remember that, in case it is ever of the slightest interest to me. Now, Captain..."

He put extra emphasis on the word 'captain.'

"I repeat, where are you bound?"

Erak lied saying that they hoped to join the forces an Three Step Pass. Eventually, Morgarath and his escort departed. Erak then reminded the two prisoners that if they were t escape, they's have Morgarath to deal with.

* * *

They had almost made it to the fens when the encountered Morgarath once again. This time, there was no where to hide their prisoners.

"Who are they?" Morgarath asked pointing at the two teens.

"They're Celts," replied Erak, "We took them prisoner in Celtica and were planning on selling them as slaves to Oberjarl Ragnak."

"Celtica is _mine, _Captain. Slaves from Celtica are mine as well. They're not for you to take and sell to your barbarian of a king!" Morgarath stated.

Erak's group stirred angrily at these words.

Meanwhile, Erak continued his bluff.

"Our agreement was we fought for booty and that includes slaves," Erak insisted but was cut off by Morgarath.

"_If _you fought!" he shouted angrily, "_if, _not if you stood by and let my bridge be destroyed!"

"It was you man Chirath who was in command at the bridge," Erak was started to get angry.

"I will not be spoken to in that fashion, _Captain Erak," _he spat, "You will apologize at once and then..."

Morgarath stopped mid-sentence, His cold eyes turned to Will.

"What is that?"

Erak felt a sinking sensation in his stomach.

There was a dull gleam of bronze visible in the gap of Will's open collar. Morgarath quickly moved in, he stanched at the bronze chain.

"A ranger," raged Morgarath.

Soon, Morgarath had connected the dots and realized that Will was the one who destroyed his beloved bridge. As his furious gaze turned back from Erak to Will, Evanlyn tightly gripped Will's hand. Will was taken aback by the girl's bravery, to even claim to know him could be dangerous at this point.

Just then a wargal lieutenants rode up to the lord of rain and night. The wargal informed Morgarath the the enemy was advancing.

"We will finish this later," he said staring daggers at Erak, "hold these prisoners here until I return, on pain of your life."

Not long after the dark lord's departure, a wave of unease washed through the wargals. Will, Evanlyn, and the Scandians had noticed. Erak sensed an opportunity arising.

"Something's happening," said the burly jarl, "Stay ready everyone."

The unease was replaced by clear fear and several wargals abandoned their guard post around the small group.

"Now lads!" bellowed Erak.

The jarl swung his double-headed ax at the wargal sergeant in a horizontal motion; the swing removed the wargal's head from his body.

As soon as the fight began, it became clear who would win. For Scandians, two-to-one numbers meant nothing. As such, the wargals fell in a matter of seconds.

"That's better," said Erak heartily, "I've been waiting to do that for days!"

Despite the swift and decisive victory, the wargals had not left their group unscathed. As Erak spoke, Nordal collapsed to one knee.

"Nordal!" exclaimed Erak, "where are you wounded?"

Nordal could hardly talk, his sheepskin vest was already heavily stained with his blood. The Scandian's large sword had fallen from his grasp. Nordal's eyes widened in fear but Horak quickly returned the weapon to his comrade's grip. The fear faded form his eyes and he fell back into a sitting position against a wall of the pass. Will knew that Scandians believed that they must die with a weapon in-hand if they did not wish wander the purgatory in torment for eternity.

Now that his sword was back in his hands, Nordal was not afraid to die. Weakly, he waved off the group.

"Go," he said, "I'm... finished, get to the ships."

"He's right," affirmed Erak, "There's nothing we can do for him."

With that, the group of five made their way to Horth's fleet.

* * *

Meanwhile, Halt made his way through the crowds of Wargals, now wandering aimlessly since their leader had been slain. He was searching desperately for his apprentice. As he continued, he came across a Scandian barely clinging to life. It was Nordal. His sword had once again fallen from his grip, his hand far to weak to hold it.

The Scandian's eyes pleaded with Halt to help him. Knowing the beliefs around perishing with no weapon in hand, Halt returned the sword to its owner.

"Thanks... friend," said Nordal weakly.

Halt nodded sadly.

"The boy, where is the boy?" Halt asked urgently.

"Boy..." Nordal repeated thickly.

"Will," pressed Halt, "a ranger's boy. Where is he."

A light of understanding now flickered in the dying man's eyes.

"The fens... Through the fens to the ships," Nordal managed.

Nordal had been glad to help the stranger, he then leaned back and let the warmth overtake him.

Halt looked down at Nordal's body.

"Thank you, friend," he said genuinely.

* * *

Will, Evanlyn, and the remaining Scandians were boarding a small boat to reach Erak's ship that was anchored within eye-shot.

As they were loading on, Will heard a voice that he hadn't heard in too long.

"Will!" yelled Halt as he raced Abelard down the beach.

Erak noticed as well; he heard the drumming of a horse's hoofs.

"Hergel's beard!" he shouted, "get moving!"

Will stood up to see his master.

"Halt!" he called.

Before he could do anything else, however, a backhand blow from Svengel sent Will sprawling back into his seat as Erak and Horak got on.

"Stay down!" ordered Svengel to the w=two captives.

Halt loosed an arrow that embedded itself into an oarsman's arm. Erak pushed the wounded man out of the way.

"Pull like hell!" he ordered.

As the raft reached Erak's ship, Halt loosed his last nine arrows; he hit three of Scandians on board, killing one.

"Get under way!" Erak bellowed

Halt knew that Will would never be able to hear his voice but that didn't deter him.

"I'll find you, Will!" he yelled as loudly as possible.

As Halt faded out of view, Will wiped his tears away and turned to face his companion. He found Evanlyn looking at him the same way. _We'll get out of this together, _they both thought.

As these thoughts raced through their heads, Will pulled Evanlyn into a passionate embrace. She leaned into the embrace, softly crying into Will's shoulder. _She's all I've got, _thought Will, he's be damned if he let anyone hurt her. They were in this together; each other's only bright spot. Right then they knew that they'd always be there for each other, no matter what.

_**To Be Continued...**_


	2. The Fury of the Narrow Sea

**Prisoners**

**Chapter Two**

**"The Fury of the Narrow Sea"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Ranger's Apprentice _or any of its characters.**

Erak Starfollower was one one of Scandia's most experienced and well-renowned sailors and navigators. So when he saw the water's deceptive calmness, he became very worried indeed. After three days of gentle travel, _Wolfwind _would have to endure a monster of a storm.

"We're not going to make it," remarked Erak.

"Looks that way," replied Svengel, Erak's first mate.

"We better tie those two to the mast," said Erak, pointing at Will and Evanlyn,

Several of the other Scandians kept taking worried glances to the north, a fact that did not go unseen by Will or Evanlyn. As Svengel walked towards the two prisoners, Will groaned.

""What now?" he said in exasperation, "They can't think that we're going to escape."

Svengel stopped by the mast and beckoned them over. As the duo made their way to Svengel, the boat's movements became much more pronounced, causing them to stagger.

"Tie yourselves to the mast," ordered Svengel, "We're in for the mother of all storms any minute."

"You mean we could be blown overboard?" asked Evanlyn fearfully.

"Maybe," replied Svengel, "More likely to be washed overboard

"You're telling us that the waves actually... come on board?" asked a very nervous Will.

"Oh yes indeed," responded the Scandian casually, as he went back to the stern to assist Erak.

"Oh God,... What is that?" Evanlyn gestured to the now quite large dark line to the north.

Then, the storm was upon them.

The sun was blotted out and the shear force of the wind took their breath straight from their lungs. Will heard Evanlyn scream and tightly grabbed her hand and pulled her close.

"Hold on!" he yelled," though it sounded like a whisper over the wind and waves.

The first of many massive waves struck the wolfship. As they neared the top of the wave, the crest thundered over the bow. Will and Evanlyn screamed as the salt water rammed into them. The force of the water had sent them both sprawling across the deck, only brought to a stop by the ropes that kept them tethered to the mast. The duo quickly ran back and held on to the mast and each other with renewed desperation.

The bow of the ship pitched forward and the plummeted down the back of the wave and into the trough. Will met Evanlyn's terrified eyes, all he could do was wrap an arm around her and the mast and hold on for dear life. As they crested another wave, Evanlyn was sent crashing back into Will, knocking down for a brief moment The wolfship came up the face of another monstrous wave.

"Heave, damn you, heave!" Erak bellowed at the rowers.

"Oh no," Will moaned as the went over the top of another one.

He and Evanlyn tried to scream but both of their voices were long gone by now. Will heard Evanlyn sobbing with fear beside him. He wrapped an arm around her. He tried to whisper encouraging words to her but the words just wouldn't come to him. Up, up, up they went and then back down again. Only until Erak directed the ship out of the heart of the storm did they get any relief, though water still sprayed over the sides quite frequently. Eventually, Will and Evanlyn fell asleep together at the base of the mast.

* * *

For seven days _Wolfwind _was driven south, into the fringes of the Endless Ocean. Will and Evanlyn still sat huddled together at the base of the mast, sodden and exhausted. On the eighth day, however, the sun finally peaked through the clouds. A tired and sore Erak brought the stearing in a smooth curve to send them north once more.

"Let's head for cape shelter," he said to the crew.

* * *

As the wolfship rounded the point and entered Cape Shelter, the swell died away instantly.

"Is this Scandia?" asked Evanlyn as the ship entered the bay.

Will shrugged. He had imagined it a lot different, here, there were only a few ramshackle old huts.

"It doesn't seem big enough does it?" he responded.

Svengal , who was currently coiling a rope, laughed at their ignorance.

"This isn't Scandia," he told them, "We're barely half way to Scandia. This is Skorghjil."

Svengel informed that the storm in the Narrow Sea had delayed the so much that the summer gales had set in, they would have to wait here until they blew over. Svengel then walked off, leaving the two young people to survey their new landscape.

Skorghjil was a bleak, uninviting place of bare rock, steep granite cliffs, and and a level beach where the old timber huts were used to the stillness of dry land, the two of them lurched drunkenly to a bench that sat outside one of the huts. Will groaned. Evanlyn patted his shoulder sympathetically. Once they were able to walk straight again, Erak ordered them to start a fire.

"Just like old times," Evanlyn smiled.

Will smiled back at her. _Old times, _he thought. That hadn't been more than two weeks ago but now it felt like an eternity. Will thought about his choices, to stay behind and make sure the bridge collapsed. Given the chance, he knew he would do it all over again. He only wished that Evanlyn hadn't been captured with him. But even as he wished it he realized that she was bright spark in his new life of misery; by wishing her away, he was wishing away the only happiness that he would have. She was what made life worth living.

"What?" asked Evanlyn.

Will's cheeks turned slightly red when he realized that he'd been staring at her. He lightly touched her hand and smiled at her.

"Would you do it again?" he asked her, "You know, the bridge and everything?"

She thought for a few moments.

"In an instant, you?"

Will nodded.

Unknown to either of them, Erak had watched their exchange. _It's good that they have a friend, _he thought. He knew that they would need each other more desperately than ever when they reached Hallasholm. They would be sold as slaves in Ragnak's great hall, into a world of long days and hard work with no gain and very little breaks. _At least they have each other, _thought Erak once more.

_**To be continued...**_


	3. The Vallas

**Prisoners**

**Chapter Three**

**"The Vallas"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Ranger's Apprentice _or any of its characters**

Will had been going on his runs and conditioning almost non-stop for several days now. He was determined to have his body prepared if the chance for escape ever arose. Meanwhile, Evanlyn had been rather sullen for the past few days and Will had no idea why, other that the obvious fact that they been captured, of course. However Will didn't know that the reason for Evanlyn's negative attitude was that she knew an easy way to escape but in order to tell Will, she would have to reveal her biggest secret. It wasn't that she didn't trust Will; she just didn't how he would react to discovering that her real name was Cassandra, daughter of King Duncan.

Evanlyn walked up to Will while he was doing another set of push-ups.

"Will, its a waste of time," she said

Will immediately noticed that her voice had no argumentative tone. He pushed himself up and sat down.

He smiled at her.

"What's a waste of time?" he asked.

"All this running and excising and talk of escape,"

Will's smile quickly turned to a frown. He didn't want to argue with her.

"It's never a waste of time to stay in shape," said Will.

Evanlyn nodded and conceded that point

"Perhaps not but escaping" From here? What chance do we have?"

Will thought for a few moments. He knew he had to be careful with what he was about to say.

"I'll admit, it doesn't look to promising," he said, "The important thing is that we have to stay positive. We mustn't give up. Halt taught me that. Never give up because if an opportunity arises, you have to ready. Don't give up on me, Evanlyn, please."

She shook her head again but not in argument.

"You're missing my point. I haven't given up. I'm just saying that its a waste of time because it's not necessary. We don't need to escape. There's another way out of this."

Will was now completely lost.

"There is," he said, "because I don't see it."

"We can be ransomed," she said.

Will laughed out loud.

"I very much doubt it. Who's going to ransom an apprentice ranger and a lady's maid? I know Halt would but he doesn't have the money. Who would pay good money for us?" he asked.

_Here it goes, _thought Evanlyn.

"The King," she said simply.

Will looked at her as though she had an extra head.

"The King?" he repeated, "Why would the King take the slightest interest in us?"

"Because I'm his daughter."

The smile instantly left Will's face. She hoped she hadn't hurt his feeling to bad, he had become her brightest spark, her light.

"You're his-" Will started but Evanlyn cut him off.

"His daughter. I'm so sorry, Will. I should have told you sooner."

Will rubbed a hand across his forehead in shock.

"So your name is..." Will hesitated.

"Cassandra," she finished for him,"I'm sorry if I've been behaving like a bit of a princess over the last few days. I just felt really bad that I hadn't told you; I didn't mean to take it out on you."

Will nodded.

"It's okay," he said simply.

"Will..." said Evanlyn remorsefully.

"He could see that she was genuinely. Will was just glad that he and Evanlyn were back on good terms.

"Honestly, it's fine," said Will.

Suddenly, Evanlyn lunged forward and hugged Will tightly.

"I missed you," said Will.

"Sorry about that as well," Evanlyn smiled up at Will.

* * *

Despite their earlier conversation, Will continued his grueling runs, much to Evanlyn's annoyance. _The plan was sound enough, _Will thought, but he had some doubt that it would ensure _his _safety. He knew that she would certainly be ransomed, but him? He was a ranger, a man-at-arms; men-at-arms were not ransomed. They were either imprisoned, enslaved, or executed. Will wasn't to keen on any of those fates.

It was possible that the Oberjarl would listen to what Evanlyn said and ransom them both, but he was a ranger's apprentice, someone they might see as a potential threat. Not only that, but Will was in excellent physical condition, perfect for a slave. There was, of course, a chance that Ragnak would ransom him but Will had to prepare for all outcomes so that even he wasn't ransomed, he could still escape.

"Stubborn, pig-headed idiot," muttered Evanlyn as Will ran down the beach, stopping to talk with Svengel.

Why couldn't he see that she had the answer to their problems, she thought angrily.

Sighing in frustration, Evanlyn stormed back up to the lean to that had become her and Will's place of residence.

* * *

A few days later, another wolfship came limping into the bay. It was listing heavily to one side and had lost its mast, one had to wonder how it was even afloat.

Evanlyn ran down from their lean to and stood next to Will.

"Where'd they come from?" she asked.

"I don't know, I was just standing on the rocks and there they were," he said.

"It's Slagor's ship!" exclaimed of of the Scandians.

"Slagor!" Erak called from the beach, "Where the devil did you spring from."

The man an the steering oar, Slagor raised his hand in greeting. Soon, the Scandians on the beach had pulled up the battered wolfship. Once the crew had all disembarked, Will saw that Erak and Slagor were clearly not friends. There argument escalated to the point of yelling before they both calmed down down. Will continued to listen to there conversation, he heard Slagor mention that Oberjarl Ragnak's son had been slain in the invasion and that he had sworn a vallasvow against King Duncan and his entire family.

Will didn't know what a vallasvow was but it didn't sound good. He knew he had to tell Evanlyn, it was very likely that her idea for a ransom wouldn't work out after all and that, most importantly, keeping her identity a secret had just become a matter of life and death. Will realized with a start that he would lay down his own life to keep Evanlyn safe.

_**To Be Continued...**_


	4. The Escape

**Prisoners**

**Chapter Four**

**"The Escape"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Ranger's Apprentice _or any of its characters.**

Since the unexpected arrival of _Wolf Fang_, life on Skorghjil had grown even more unpleasant. The space normally meant for one crew was now crammed with two crews; and with the crowding came fighting. The more Will saw, the more he saw that Slagor didn't even raise his voice when dispute arose in his presence. Erak, however, had no tolerance for the fighting; he routinely had to knock a few heads together.

Also with the new arrivals, the workload had doubled for Will and Evanlyn. Will, ever the gentleman, continued to purposefully take the hardest, most dirty jobs. Will knew that Evanlyn was feeling rather miserable since Will had informed her of the vallasvow. Will had tried his very best to cheer her up but it had minimal effect.

"You know I'm here for you, right?" Will tried to encourage Evanlyn

She smiled weakly at him.

"I know, Will," she said, "I'm grateful, but... it just seems so hopeless doesn't it."

Will nodded glumly.

"If you ever need to talk..." he let the statement hang.

Late at night, they had shared many long talks but since the discovery of vallasvow, Evanlyn had been more tight lipped.

"Thanks, Will," Evanlyn said softly.

He smiled at her though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

* * *

After evening meal, Evanlyn was washing the dirty dishes. She was appalled by the how dirty the dishes were. As she continued with her menial chores, Will came up behind her.

"I'll do those," he said.

"No, you can't give any hints about who I am," she said quietly.

"I'm not offering because of that," replied Will, "I'm offering because you're the most important person in my life."

Evanlyn was taken by Will's statement. _He's so sweet, _She thought. She already knew that Will was the most important person in her life; and she had come dangerously close to alienating him with her bad attitude and petty frustrations.

Evanlyn, who was softly blushing from Will's comment, hugged Will tightly.

"Thank you for everything, Will," she whispered softly in his ear.

"As I said before, I'm always here for you," replied Will, who sounded far happier than he had it many days.

A few tears leaked from Evanlyn's eyes. _Only Will has ever made me feel so good, _she thought.

* * *

The following night, Will woke Evanlyn up in the middle of the night.

"What's going on?" she asked in a tired voice.

"We're leaving," he said firmly.

Evanlyn nodded.

Will helped her tie several rags around her feet to muffle the sound of their steps. Once they had finished, they stepped out onto the beach.

"We're going to run down to Svengel's skiff and sail away from this God-forsaken island," said Will, "Tread lightly and move from shadow to shadow. If someone comes outside, don't move, people have a tendency to overlook still objects that are right in front of them but other than that, don't stop till you make it to the boat."

Even without his cloak, Will seemed to blend to each shadow. Before she could even get a clear look at him, Will had made it to the boats. He gestured for her to follow his lead. With each step, Evanlyn felt like she was causing the earthquakes. In reality, she was doing very well but in her ears, the sound was deafening. Once she reached the boat, Will clumsily locked the oars into place. Evanlyn glanced apprehensively at the huts they knew the Skandians were sleeping in.

Will leaned in closer to her.

"All right," he whispered.

"I'm sure," she said, mustering all her confidence.

Will placed his hand n her shoulder in a gesture of encouragement.

"Let's do this," he said.

Will took the first strokes with the oars.

"Slowly," Evanlyn advised.

Now, Will moved with greater precision, copying the technique he's seen Svengel use. Now they they were moving. Suddenly, Evanlyn felt wrappings around her feet grow damp.

"Will!" she cried, "there's water on the boat!"

"It's just spray," Will carelessly responded."

"It's not spray!" her voice cracked with fear, "The boat's leaking! Look!"

Will looked down and his heart leaped into his mouth. The was substantial and its level kept rising.

"Oh my God! start bailing quickly!" he said in a panic.

Despite Evanlyn's best efforts, the water kept rising.

"Go back! Go back!" she yelled.

Will swung the boat around and rowed back to the beach as fast as he could. They were three meters from the beach when the sea poured over the gunwales and it sank in the waist-deep water. they pulled the skiff back to shore.

"Trying to kill yourself?" said a familiar voice.

"Jarl Erak-" Will began but quickly stopped when he realized that there was nothing he could say.

Erak tossed a small, wooden, plug-like object to Will.

"Maybe you forgot this?" said the Scandian leader.

"It's what we simple sailors call a bung," explained Erak, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "It stops water from coming into the boat. Usually its a good idea to check for it."

Will's shoulders slumped. He had tried to take matters into his own hands, to save himself and Evanlyn; but he had failed miserably. He was soaked, exhausted, and shaking from the fear of the Jarl's anger. Speaking of the Jarl's anger, the front of Will's shirt was snatched by a massive hand.

"Don't ever take me for a fool, boy," Erak growled dangerously. "You try anything like this again and I'll flog the skin off your back." Erak wanted the threat to truly sink in with the young ranger.

"Both of you," he included her in the threat and he saw the fear on the boy's face go up exponentially. _Good, _Erak thought. He grown somewhat fond of the two captives, he had no desire to hurt them but he would do what he must. Erak flung Will to the ground.

"Get back to the hut," he ordered.

* * *

Following the failed escape attempt, Will had been forbidden to go on his daily runs. He and Evanlyn now spent all the time in the day doing grueling and menial jobs for the Scandians. Slagor and his crew had called for Will and Evanlyn to be flogged; Slagor had offered to do it himself. Erak had quite bluntly told him and his men that the prisoners were not to be flogged. The fact of the matter was that the burly Jarl held no ill feelings for the two captives, had he been in their position, Erak knew that he would do the same. While he held his prisoners in relatively high regard, it was Erak's firm belief that Slagor and his men were wastes of Skorghijl's fresh air.

As Slagor continued his taunts and threats, Erak realized that he had more in common with Will and Evanlyn than he did with one of his own countrymen. After all, Erak had grown to like the slaves, he admired their bravery at the bridge They had gained Erak's respect; he almost wished he could set them free.

Erak saw the duo heading back to their lean to after another hard day of work. He had noticed that, for a brief time, Will and Evanlyn had seemed rather cold to each other. He was glad to see that those times had passed. Now, Will had his arm around Evanlyn while they chatted about random things. Erak couldn't help but notice that despite their predicament, they seemed to be legitimately happy in each others presence. As Erak mused over these things, Slagor came in behind him.

"You should have flogged hose little whelps after they tried to escape!" he snarled.

Erak quickly rounded on the smaller man.

"I'm in charge here, Slagor, not you!" Erak shot back.

"The drunken skirl took a step backwards.

"We'll see about that," muttered Slagor.

"What was that?" demanded Erak, who had heard the other man mumbling something under his breath.

Slagor turned his back on the senior jarl and walked away. Erak growled lowly. He hoped that he got through their stay on Skorghijl without killing the little pest. Little did Erak know that the entire situation with Slagor was about to come to an explosive head.

_**To Be Continued...**_


	5. Guardian Angel

**Prisoners**

**Chapter Five**

**"Guardian Angel"**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Ranger's Apprentice _or any of its characters**

Ever since Slagor and band of outlaws had shown up, the threat of confrontation was ever-present. One night, the situation exploded during evening meal. Will was was placing platters and several carving knives on one table while Evanlyn was ladling soup at the other table, which just so happened to be the table that Slagor, Erak, and their senior crewmen sat. As she leaned in between Slagor and his first mate, the skirl suddenly lurched backwards in his chair and threw his arms wide as he laughed at something one his crewmen had said. His hand jolted against the full ladle, spilling hot soup on his forearm.

Slagor bellowed in pain and grabbed Evanlyn by the wrist, dragging her forward and bending her arm at a cruel angle over the table.

"Damn you, girl, you've scalded me! Look at this you lazy Araluen swine!" He shook his dripping arm in her face and held her with his other arm.

"I'm sorry," she said hurriedly, wincing against the pain, "but you knocked my ladle."

"My fault was it? I'll teach you how to speak to a skirl!"

Hos face was dark with rage. He reached for his three-thonged whip that he carried at his belt. Erak, who was sitting directly across from Slagor, cursed to himself. Will, who was on the opposite side of the room was in a silent rage. _If he hurts her... _he left the thought unfinished in his head. unbeknownst to anyone else, the apprentice ranger had retained one of the knives. It was a heavy, double-sided thing used for carving large portions of pork. At about twenty centimeters in length, it was not dissimilar from a saxe knife, a knife that Will was very familiar with.

Erak finally spoke. His voice was low and hos tone was reasonable, this got his crews attention. When the big man blustered and yelled, he was usually joking around. When his voice was low, he was at his most dangerous.

"Let her go, Slagor," he said.

"She scalded me!" Slagor yelled back, "She did it on purpose and she's going to be punished!"

Erak took a deep draft of ale and continued.

"I'll tell you once more, let her go. She's my slave," Erak continued in his low tone.

"Slaves need discipline," said Slagor, "We've all seen that you're not willing to do it, so it's time someone did it for you."

As Slagor ranted, Evanlyn tried to break his hold on her but Slagor kept her pinned easily. Erak sighed. He was quite sick of dealing with Slagor and cew of drunks and criminals.

"Slagor, I've had a hard campaign and these two are my only profit. I won't have you responsible for the death of one of them."

Slagor smile cruelly.

"You've gone soft on these two, Erak." he said, "I'm doing you a favor and, bedsides, a good whipping won't kill her. It just make her more obedient in the future."

Will was ready to strike. He didn't care how Erak or any of the other Scandians would react. If he whipped Evanlyn, Will would put a knife in his skull.

"I wasn't talking about the girl," said Erak, "I meant the boy there," he gestured at Will.

"The boy?" frowned Slagor, "I have no intention of harming him."

"I know that," replied Erak, "But if you so much as touch the girl with your whip of yours, odds are he'd kill you. And then I'll have to kill him for punishment."

Several men from both crews laughed at how nonchalantly Erak delivered his news.

"You must have lost you wits Erak, that boy's about as dangerous as a field mouse," said Slagor.

Erak smiled.

"He could kill you before you took a pace towards him," he replied.

The tone of Erak's voice showed that he wasn't joking. He was dead serious. The jarl looked around for a way to prove his point.

"Svengel," he said to his second-in-command, "pass that cask here."

Svengel slid an empty cask down to Erak.

"This is about the size of you thick head Slagor," Erak took out his knife and carved two holes where the eyes would be, "and let's say these are your eyes."

Erak then set the cask next to Slagor's elbow. A murmur of anticipation rose from the room. Only Svengel and Horak knew what Erak was getting at.

"So, boy, those eyes are a little close together but, then again, so are Slagor's," Erak said much to the amusment of the other Scandians, "Let's watch and see if anything appears between them, shall we"

Will hesitated a second but he sensed that he could trust Erak. Quickly, he drew his arm back and imagined that it was actually Slagor's head and that he was whipping Evanlyn, he sent the knife spinning across the room. The blade embedded itself in the cask, sending it flying off the table. Slagor genuinely screamed in fright and lurched backwards, letting his grip on Evanlyn slip. The girl quickly got away from Slagor and ran out of the dining hall door.

Will smirked, very satisfied with his vast majority of the Scandians from both crews were laughing at, and teasing, Slagor for his fright. Erak was glad that he'd finally found a way to put Slagor in his place. The Jarl decided to milk the moment for all it was worth.

"So you see Slagor," he said, "if the boy desired, he could kill you in a second."

Slagor was just recovering his composure, his fright was replaced an even darker anger then when Evanlyn spilled the soup on him.

"Even so," continued Erak, "I have to punish the boy for frightening someone as _important _as yourself."

Before Will knew what was happening, Erak's large fist flew into his face, sending the smaller boy flying. His unconscious form was sprawled on the floor of the dining hall.

"Get tho\is whelp back to his shelter," ordered Erak.

Svengel knelt down and slung Will's body over his shoulder. Erak's first mate then hauled him out of the hall. As Svengel carried Will out back, he looked up at the stars.

"We've gotta get out of here," he said to himself.

* * *

Evanlyn was in the lean-to when she saw Svengel carrying Will's limp form._Was he hurt because of me? _she thought; if he was hurt on her behalf, she would never forgive herself. Worry overcame her and she ruched out of the door.

"What happened?" Evanlyn asked worriedly.

Svengel shrugged.

"Nothing much, he did scare the devil out of Slagor though," the smile on Svengel's face showed that he wasn't exactly up-in-arms about Will's actions. "Erak just had to knock upside the head, you know, as a formality and such. None the less, this boy's a brave one; he's earned my respect, that's for certain."

Evanlyn felt some relief but it was marginal. What had her worried was just the fact that Will was unconscious, she never wanted to see Will hurt in any way.

"It wasn't, uh, my fault, was it?" Evanlyn asked hopefully.

Svengel waved his hand.

"Not at all, Slagor's just a pigheaded idiot," said the big Scandian.

That also eased some of Evanlyn's worries.

"But as I said," continued Svengel, "he's a brave one." Svengel was gesturing at the unmoving figure slung over his shoulder.

He unceremoniously dumped Will on the makeshift bed that the ranger's apprentice had made for Evanlyn and went back to the dining hall.

When Svengel was gone, Evanlyn sat down next to Will and moved his head from the hard cot to her lap.

"A brave one indeed," said Evanlyn.

* * *

Slagor drunkenly stumbled out of the dining hall, fury in his eyes. _How dare that little runt humiliate me! _He thought. Slagor's murderous thoughts continued for several minutes. His brooding was interrupted by one of his two crewmen that were truly loyal to him,Gundar was his name.

"We can make him pay," said Gundar. "And the girl too," he added as an afterthought.

Slagor scowl was replaced sinister smile.

"Oh we'll make them pay, alright," he said. "That boy will regret the day he decided to mock Skirl Slagor!"

* * *

Evanlyn looked down at the boy in her lap. _He's always so brave and kind,_she thought with a smile. If she didn't know better, she would've assumed that he'd grown up in a noble family from the kindness and bravery that he displayed, not the ward at Castle Redmont. Evanlyn's mental praise of Will continued until one thought flickered across her mind. _I think I love Will. _The thought came back to her and she knew that it wasn't entirely true. _I know that I love Will. _That was more accurate, she thought.

Moments later, Will's eyes fluttered open. He had a pounding headache. As his vision cleared, he saw Evanlyn looking down on him. _She's so beautiful, _Will thought. His mind was foggy from the light concussion that Erak had inflicted on him, thus, his brain told him that it was a good idea to kiss Evanlyn. Part of him, likely the fully-cognitive part, told him that would be rash, not to mention the fact that she was actually Princess Cassandra. Another part of his mind, also fully cognitive, saw nothing but love in Evanlyn's eyes. Will known for some time but it only fully dawned on him now. He loved Evanlyn. And she loved him too.

For a few moments, they just stared into each other's eyes.

"Will..." Evanlyn said in a hushed tone.

No more words were needed. As Will leaned up, Evanlyn bent down. Their lips met somewhere in the middle. For several seconds, they felt nothing but pure bliss and knew nothing other than each other.

Suddenly, Will pulled back.

"I shouldn't." He said sadly, "We shouldn't."

Evanlyn had a hurt look in her face.

"Why?" she said, unable to say more.

"You... You're a princess. I'm just a ranger's apprentice, born to a Sargent and a peasant girl." Will explained. "We live in separate worlds, I mean, when we get back, how will everything change?"

"Will, just because I'm princess, doesn't mean that anything will change when we get back. I'll still be the same girl, you know." said Evanlyn, desperately wanting to feel Will's lips on hers once again.

"What would your father think?" asked Will, "Surely he wouldn't want his daughter with some low-born commoner like me."

"Father is a fair man," Evanlyn persisted, "He would certainly see that you are the sweetest, kindest, and bravest boy I could ever hope to be with."

Will blushed under praise. He was just doing what he thought the right thing. Maybe, just maybe, he was wrong this time. Maybe, he and Evanlyn could be together. And even if they couldn't, Will knew that he would enjoy every second he had with her until their return to Araluen, and after. So, after halfheartedly fighting his feelings, Will conceded.

"I'm with you till the end of the line, you know that, right?" Will reassured her.

A wide, genuine, and truly beautiful smile appeared on Evanlyn's face.

"Of course, just like how I'll be with you forever." she replied.

And then, once again, their lips met and their arms wrapped lovingly around each other. They knew nothing but each other and they were happy.

**_To be Continued..._**

**(End A/N: I know that this story has, outside of the Will/Cassandra pairing, followed the cannon of RA pretty closely. That's going to sart to change next chapter.)**


	6. Slagor's Wrath

**Prisoners**

**Chapter Six**

_**"Slagor's Wrath"**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own_ Ranger's _****_Apprentice _or any of its characters.**

**(A/N: This chapter is where things start to take a darker turn. I understand if some think that is a bit of a drastic turn but I think that it had to happen. And there's no other place I could put this.)**

**(P.S.**

**Sorry this chapter took so long. Life's been hectic and this has definitely been the most challenging chapter yet)**

Will awoke. He had a slight headache but he was still better rested then he had been since he had been living in Halt's cabin outside Castle Redmont. He looked to his left and smiled. Next to him slept Evanlyn. Will's arm was around her and hers around him. _Things could definitely be worse, _thought Will. Little did he know, things were about to get much worse.

* * *

Later that day, Will and Evanlyn were serving the Scandians breakfast. Several of the Scandians clapped Will on the back with hearty grins on their faces. All around them, the new couple saw several of the raiders mimicking Slagor's shriek and staggering. _Yes, _Will thought, things could definitely be worse.

It was also worth noting that the summer gales seemed to be subsiding. It looked as though _Wolfwind _would soon be under way to Hallasholm. Will and Evanlyn had mixed feelings on this. They would be grateful to be away from the depressing landscape o Skorgkjil. And away from the scathing looks Slagor and his cronies gave them. It unsettled Will quite a bit. But once they reached Hallasholm it was very likely that they would be forced apart and have to work for different masters. This was obviously something that the couple wanted to avoid. They had grown far closer than friends and the thought of one of them being away from the other was unbearable for two young captives. They just pushed that thought as far away as they possibly could for now.

* * *

_The following Day..._

* * *

It was one of those rare moments when Will and Evanlyn had a break. Will guessed that Erak was in a particularly good mood after The incident with Slagor the previous night. No matter the reason, they were glad to be given a respite, no matter how brief it would end up being. Erak wasn't the only person on Skorgkjil. Will and Evanlyn's recent relationship change had them in a good mood as well.

They were walking down to a more secluded spot on the beach when they were roughly seized from behind. Ironically they were taken to the exact spot that Will was planning on showing Evanlyn. Will was shoved against the rough stone cliff walls that were ever-present on Skorgkjil.

"Did you really think I would let you get away with that, huh?" Slagor growled into Will's ear.

Will knew exactly what Slagor was referring to. Wisely, he chose to say nothing. Unfortunately, Evanlyn was not so prudent.

"We're under the protection of Jarl Erak." She said. "When he hears about this you will be punished. In fact, he might even make use of his ax again."

Slagor then kneed the boy in the stomach. grunted as the air was forced from his lungs. The skirl then looked down on the hunched over, young prisoner.

"If you say a word to this about Erak, I'll do to her double what I'll do to you."

Will gulped at this. He didn't know what Slagor would do, but he did know that it wouldn't be good.

"I'll teach both of you brats how to treat a skirl!"

Slagor punched Will in the ribs twice before the boy fell to his knees. Slagor small for a Scandian but he was still a large and strong individual. The enraged skirl was about to hit Will in the face when the voice of one of his crew members interrupted him.

"Wait," he said.

Will noticed for the first time that two of Slagor's men were present.

"This had better be something really damn good, Gundar, or you'll get as many lashes as the boy." snarled Slagor.

"Just hurting the boy may not be enough to make a big impression." Gundar said with an evil glint in his eyes. "Inflicting pain upon him won't be enough." Gundar knew that the plan was to simply threaten the girl while they whipped Will but Gundar had heard a drunk Svengel tell the tale of how Will and Evanlyn had been captured, about how the boy lived up to his name. _Willpower. _And about how much he cared for the girl, Evanlyn. How much they cared for each other. How she was his biggest weakness. "We hurt the girl. Just as badly if not worse."

"Don't touch her!" yelled Will, speaking out for the first time.

Slagor's fist slammed into Will's head. The boy hit the ground hard.

"You think you have any say in the matter?" the other of Slagor's men said in a sinister tone.

"Prepare him for the lashes, then the girl." Ordered Slagor.

The two other Scandians took Will's shirt and him in place with his back facing Slagor.

"Put him down!" Evanlyn yelled at the Scandians

"You made a mistake crossing me, Boy!" Slagor snarled, ignoring Evanlyn and taking out his three-pronged whip.

Then, Will experienced the most excruciating pain he had ever felt. He cried out it pain.

"Will!" Evanlyn cried.

Again and and again, Slagor's whip bit into his flesh. Each time, a horrible cry of agony was forced from him. And each time he cried out, the two Scandians holding him in place chuckled at his misery. Thirty lashes later, Will's back was a mess of bloody gashes and welts.

"Her turn." Slagor pointed to Evanlyn.

The other two Scandians roughly dropped Will to the cold ground.

Will only managed a weak, "no..." he was too weak to say anything else.

Even as the Scandians tore away the back of her shirt, Evanlyn still cried for Will. She was just hoping he could muster the strength to respond, hoping that he would was okay. Evanlyn had been raised a princess at Castle Araluen and as such hadn't ever experienced any real pain. There was a loud _Crack!Followed by a _horrifying cry of pure agony.

As the cracks of the whip and cries of pain rang out, Will hoisted himself to his feet. Before Gundar or the other Scandian could stop him, Will summoned all of his remaining strength, charged forward and punched Slagor in the face with the force of all the rage and pain he felt from his and Evanlyn's torment. Will felt the bones in Slagor's nose crack beneath his fist.

Slagor dropped his whip and stumbled backwards, clutching his now bleeding nose. He growled fiercely.

"That was a mistake, boy!" Slagor snarled.

Will heard noises coming from behind him. He turned just in time to see Gundar's massive fist flying towards him. Then the world went black.

* * *

When Will woke he was still on the beach. Evanlyn was next to him, crying quietly. He couldn't stifle the groan of absolute misery from exiting his mouth.

"Will!" she said through her tears.

Before Will could try to comfort her, A shadow was cast over the huddled pair.

"Well, well, look who's up." sneered Slagor.

Will groaned again.

"Tostig, make sure the girl stays still." Slagor ordered.

The other Scandian, now revealed to be named Tostig, stood over Evanlyn. He drew hos saxe knife.

"Don't even think about moving." Growled Tostig.

Will was roughly seized by the front of his shirt by Slagor.. His whip out once again.

"This is gonna hurt." Slagor growled lowly.

Gundar held Will in place, his back facing Slagor once again. Will looked at Evanlyn. She had wide, teary eyes. Will gave her a reassuring smile before the whipping started again. Will may have known it would hurt, but that didn't lessen the pain. Tears started to form in his eyes as he cried out in pain repeatedly.

"No one's going to save you." Gundar growled into Will's ear.

Slagor himself was lost in the moment. He cackled maniacally every time he hit Will. In fact, he was so lost in the moment that he didn't hear the heavy footsteps behind him. Nor did he hear Gundar and Tostig shout a warning Slagor was about to whip the poor boy again but while his arm was up, a grip like iron seized it. The laughing stopped. The glee in his eyes was replaced by terror when he saw who was behind him. Behind him stood a seething Erak.

"What did I tell you about hurting _my _prisoners?" Erak asked lowly.

Svengel, who was behind Erak, heard his tone. He knew that when Erak used that tone, he was most dangerous. His yelling and insults were usually in good fun but this? This tone was a tone reserved for times when Erak was feeling dangerous, lethal even. Slagor also knew this. He didn't dare respond to Eraks question. And he knew his men wouldn't do anything to stop Erak from doing whatever he did.

"Drop the damn whip or I break your arm!" Erak growled.

The whip dropped to the gravely beach.

Erak then noticed Slagor's bloodied and squished nose.

"Looks like the boy really did you in there, eh?" Erak said in a jovial tone.

The burly jarl then saw that Will and Evanlyn were still behind held close by Gundar and Tostig.

"Let them go." Erak's darker tone came back in full force.

Gundar dropped Will without hesitation while Tostig made sure to be well clear of Evanlyn. Evanlyn's concern for Will was only slightly eased as he sank to the ground, but again, only slightly. Even from the distance she was at, Evanlyn could clearly she the terror on Slagor's face.

"Don't worry," Erak growled with a small smirk, "I'm not as much of a low-down, sadistic, miserable little grunt like you."

He then hammered hos fist into Slagor's face. The psychotic skirl dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. A small smile of satisfaction graced Evanlyn's face. Erak walked over to the prone form of Will while Svengel approached Evanlyn.

"Are you okay?" Svengel asked.

She nodded, but the painful wince as she moved accompanied by bloody welts and gashes on her back told a different story.

"Come on," said Svengel as he picked her up, being surprisingly gentle. "No need to be prideful."

Svengel, like most Scandians, seemed like a gruff, seafaring raider. Though in Svengel's case, those who knew him knew that he was quite a softy, at least as far as Scandians go. He had come to respect, even like, the two young captives. Meanwhile Evanlyn, overcome by the emotional and physical pain of it all, cried into Svengel's sheepskin vest as Erak hoisted Will up onto his shoulder. It had been a long day.

_**To Be Continued...**_


	7. Recovery and Retribution

**Prisoner**

**Chapter Seven**

**"Recovery and Retribution"**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own _Ranger's Apprentice _of any of its characters.)**

Erak was seething.

It had been a good, quiet day. Two days after Will's mockery of Slagor, which had Erak feeling particularly happy. He decided to give the two young prisoners a break, a luxury they rarely had. Erak had seen Will and Evanlyn giving each other quick kisses from time to time, either on the lips or cheek. Erak knew that once they reached Hallasholm, they would likely be separated. He wanted them to have as much time together before their nigh inevitable separation. So he gave them a break.

That had turned out to be a mistake.

He had been overseeing the day-to-day maintenance of his beloved _Wolfwind _when Svengel had run up to him. He told Erak that he had been cleaning one of his fish when he heard the truly horrible screams and the crack of a whip. Only one man on Skorgkjil carried a whip. He said that he had been so engrossed in his work that he didn't know how long it had been going on for.

Erak had wasted no time in calling Horak over and following Svengel to the place where the torment was taking place. The sight that greeted him was not pretty. Slagor was cackling like a mad man as he lashed Will's back repeatedly. The other two Scandians with Slagor, Gundar and Tostig, had called out to warn their leader as Erak surged forward. The skirl was to engrossed in his torturous activities to notice.

Despite everything, in gave Erak great pleasure when he saw the complete terror on Slagor's face when their eyes met. Just as it had given him great sanctification when he knocked Slagor out cold with one blow.

Now, He had a semiconscious Will slung over his shoulder. The boy's back covered in welt and cuts while his face had a couple of nasty bruises. The girl seemed to be in similar shape, though not quite as bad. Evanlyn would be healed in two days, though the lashes would slight pain when irritated for quite some time. It would take slightly longer for Will to heal but that boy was a fighter. He'd likely make a quicker recovery than your average (non-Scandian) man.

The sooner they were off of this God-forsaken rock the better.

* * *

_Two days later..._

* * *

Will woke up with a gran. He was not feeling great. With every movement of his back, pain flared through him. Id did provide him some solace, however, that Evanlyn healed somewhat from their ordeal, Though she was still feeling the effects of her wounds quite badly. But Will's greatest comfort was definitely the beautiful girl lying peacefully up against him.

The early morning sun peaked through the seams between the wooden boards that the the lean-to was made of. He was thankful that Erak had let them sleep in more since Slagor decided to have his revenge. On the matter of the sadistic skirl, Slagor, Gundar and Tostig were taking care of _Wolfwind _from sunup to sundown. Not a bad turn-around, Will thought.

The apprentice Ranger felt Evanlyn stir beside him. _Right on time, _thought Will. Erak had been lenient with their sleep schedule but they still had to get up and do some housework nonetheless.

"Look who's finally awake," Will joked.

Evanlyn smiled at him and then let out a yawn.

"That's the best sleep I've had in ages," she said drowsily.

"You said that yesterday," remarked Will, "and the day before."

"I t just keeps getting better, I guess." Evanlyn lied her head down on Will's chest. "We can probably sneak another couple of minutes."

As if on queue, someone loudly knocked on the door.

"Come on!" It was Horak. "It's half-past eight, morning meal needs to be cleaned up."

Evanlyn yawned again.

"At least we didn't have to cook it this time," said Will, who's arm was draped comfortably around Evanlyn.

Will pushed the door open to find a slightly frustrated Horak.

"Gorlog's teeth, what's been keepin' ya?" he said, invoking a favorite curse among Scandians.

Evanlyn mumbled an apology and the two then made their way to the dining hall where a fine mess surely awaited them.

"Once more into the fray," said an ever-cheerful Will.

* * *

Slagor was not having a good day.

At the fifth hour of the morning, he, Gundar, and Tostig had been roused from their sleep. On that topic, their new sleeping quarters were in a particularly rocky and occasionally wet spot on the beach. They were then sent to work on his own ship, _Wolf fang_, and _Wolfwind, _the ship of his mortal enemy, Erak. He found it demeaning have to work on his own ship but to have to do the daily upkeep on Erak's ship was downright humiliating for the cowardly skirl.

Despite their new-found humiliation, Slagor and his men still did their best work. They did not dare provoke Erak's wrath. Gundar and Tostig almost always worked on _Wolf Fang _but Erak made sure to single out Slagor and have him clean his ship, Slagor being the other two's leader and all.

It was now sometime in the eighth hour of the day. Slagor was scrubbing _Wolfwind's _hull till it gleamed when a voice called out from behind him.

"You missed a spot." Bellowed Erak.

Beside him stood Svengel. They shared a hearty laugh over Erak's jibe.

Slagor growled. His hand brushed the black and purple bruise Erak had left on his face. Slagor knew that scrubbing the hull of a wolfship wouldn't matter once the ship set sail again, Erak just wanted to torment him with the most arduous tasks he could give him.

He found himself, not for the first time, vowing to unleash his vengeance upon Erak, upon his whole damned crew, and, of course, on that cursed boy who had the nerve to defy him and that girl he was with.

* * *

The sun was setting after a not-too-hard day of work. Will and Evanlyn leaned against their lean-too watching the sun go down. The light of the setting sun was shining off Evanlyn's hair. Will couldn't help but be awed by her beauty. He was content to sit there in silence until Evanlyn asked an important question.

"What happens after all of this?" she said.

"You mean when we get to Hallasholm?" responded Will.

"Yeah, I suppose." said Evanlyn. "Or even if we somehow manage ti get home."

"Not if," said Will firmly, "when."

Evanlyn couldn't help but smile at his determination and willpower.

"When, then. What happens _when _we get home?"

"I never really thought about that." said Will. "Maybe I can get Halt or Crowley to transfer me to Araluen Fief."

Evanlyn nodded.

"I hope so."

Since she had had met him in Celtica, Will had become such a part of her day-to-day life that she couldn't imagine being without him.

"We need to be ready for Hallasholm," Will said gravely, "it's likely that we'll be separated but we'll still probably see each other when we're out on errands and what-not."

Evanlyn nodded sullenly.

"I... I can't lose you." Evanlyn said quietly. "You're so brave and determined and I can't imagine life without you to any extent."

Will looked into Evanlyn's amazing green eyes and saw the love there. She was his rock; the thing that kept him going through all the trials they had faced from the bridge to Slagor's wrath.

"I need you too, you know." said Will quietly.

They leaned in and shared a short, passionate kiss. It lasted only a few seconds but it was overflowing with the love shared between the captive Araluens. Will put his hand on her cheek.

"Whatever happens to us, just know that I'll always love you." he said softly.

Evanlyn wrapped her arms around Will and pulled him in for a long embrace. She was faintly aware that tears had welled up in her eyes. It didn't matter that they would likely be separated once they reached Hallasholm, nothing mattered anymore; all that mattered was the brave Ranger's apprentice in her arms. A Ranger's apprentice that she loved with all her heart.

* * *

The summer gales had finally blown over. Now _Wolfwind _was making its way out of Cape Shelter and back on their way to Scandia. Slagor's ship would be stuck on Skorkhijl for quite some time still. Slagor's reckless decision to try and cross during the gales had cost his two men and the raiding season. The damages to his ship wouldn't be repaired until after the season had ended.

Erak grinned happily to himself. He has happy to be off that cursed island and away from Slagor and his crew of brigands. Now, he was on his way back to Scandia, back home. It had been a long, hard, and largely-failed expedition to Araluen. He had lost good men and gained precious little. The only thing that could dampen the more exuberant mood he was in due to the imminent prospect of return to Scandia.

Will and Evanlyn.

Normally, Erak had no problem selling slaves off to the richer households of Hallasholm or even to Ragnak's great hall, but Will and Evanlyn were not normal slaves. Normal slaves begged the whole way to Scandia; pleaded for their freedom, for their life. Normal slaves were taken with barely a fight. Will and Evanlyn, however, were fighters. Will had dropped Wargals left and right before Nordal was able to hit him with a rock. Evanlyn had decided to stay behind to make sure that Morgarath's bridge collapsed, and she had tried to pick up Will's bow after he had fallen. They were fighters alright.

Erak was a Scandian, and Scandians valued, above all else, bravery. Erak knew that Will and Evanlyn were in love, after all, it wasn't like they tried to hard to hide it. He didn't want to split them up as it would certainly break them to some degree. Like most Scandians, Erak didn't think it would be right to reward true warriors with heartbreak. But he thought he had a solution.

"Something on your mind, Boss?" Svengel's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Erak gestured to the two captives down on the deck of the wolfship.

"I think I know how to keep those two together." Erak stated. "The great hall could always use extra slaves, right?

Svengel nodded.

"I don't think Ragnak or Borsa have ever turned down a possible slave." Svengel said thoughtfully.

Erak nodded to himself. The matter seemed to be at rest. He'd just have them both work at the great hall. It wouldn't be pleasant, of coarse, but they would only have to do major manual labor if they were assigned to The Yard. Nothing but death was waiting for those unlucky enough to be assimged to work in The Yard.

_**To Be Continued...**_


	8. On His Majesty's Secret Service

**Prisoners**

**Chapter Eight**

**"On His Majesty's Secret Service"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Ranger's Apprentice _or any of its characters.**

Halt O'Carrick was something of a legend in Araluen. He was arguably the best shot in the entire Ranger Corps, an incredibly skilled silent-mover, and a masterful tactician that many credited with the victory at Hackman Heath all those years ago. But, on top of all of that, he was one of the king's most loyal and most trusted advisers.

So it came as quite a shock to everyone when he was arrested for publicly slandering the king and threatening a member of The Watch with a longbow.

Though if one knew all the details and looked at it hard enough, it wasn't that hard to see coming.

Ever since the battles of Thorntree Forest and Three-step Pass, and the capture of his apprentice, Halt had been dejected and irritable, not the typical sarcasm that was expected of the grizzled ranger, irritation that constantly bordered on insubordination. Now, it had come to a head in a random bar down by the docks.

As Halt sat in his temporary holding cell, his thoughts wandered to Will. The boy, with his never-ending flow of questions, had become such an important part of Halt's life over the last two years that, after his capture, it was as though part of Halt's very soul had been taken from him. Like he'd lost a son.

No matter what Crowley told him, Halt blamed himself. He knew that Gilan blamed himself, as did Horace. But Halt knew that the fault lied with him He felt that he had failed his apprentice. If he had been better, perhaps he could've saved Will, not to mention the princess from those Scandians.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his cell door opening. Halt looked and saw Crowley, his closest friend and the Ranger Commandant.

"Why'd you do it?" He asked.

"I've never been able to hold my liquor well." Halt smiled weakly. He decided to keep the true reason for his outburst to himself for now.

Crowley sighed.

"Come on, Halt. This is bad. I can't keep you from any punishment you may receive, neither can the king. Neither of us want to do it but I'm bound by rank and he's bound by the law. As commandant I must do my duty and as King, Duncan must uphold the law." Crowley said matter-of-factly.

"What would be the punishment then?" Halt realized he should have looked into the possible consequences of his acts.

"I don't know, Halt, I'm not exactly used to this, you know." Crowley smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

Halt nodded glumly.

"You'll likely be tried tomorrow," Crowley told him.

Halt nodded again.

"Well I'll know soon enough." He mumbled.

Though he already knew that, by the end of tomorrow, he would no longer be on his Majesty's secret service.

* * *

Duncan's life had been rather chaotic as of late. He'd had to deal with the war with Morgarath, all while his daughter was missing. They then won the war with Morgarath finally being killed, by a warrior's Apprentice no less. Though that good news had quickly been washed away when he'd heard that his daughter had been captured by Scandians and was on her way to Scandia.

Now, one of his most trusted advisers had gotten drunk and publicly slandered him. As a friend, he just wanted to forget that it had ever happened; but as a king, he knew that he couldn't. The only other occupants of the room were Lord Anthony and Crowley, the bare minimum of people needed for this unpleasant business.

Duncan looked up as he heard the massive doors to the chamber open. Three men of The Watch escorted in a dirty, disheveled man in a gray-green cloak. Halt. They brought him to a stop in front of the trio of high-ranking officials.

"Why, Halt, why'd you do it?" Duncan asked, not realizing that Crowley had asked him the same thing just last night.

Halt smiled. It was a smile that didn't reach his eyes or hold any humor. It was really more of a grimace

"I've never been able to hold my liquor well, my Lord." Halt said sadly.

Duncan now turned to face Lord Anthony.

"Can't we just let this go?" He all but pleaded.

"He's a King's Ranger, my Lord. It would be approaching a dangerous line fora mere subject of the throne to say but for a ranger, it's near treason." He said.

"Can't we just ignore this once?" Duncan persisted.

"That would go directly against the law, your Majesty." said Anthony.

As king, Duncan knew he could simply order it to be forgotten and have Halt return to business as usual. But that would, as Lord Anthony said, completely disregard the laws that he had sworn to uphold. Even more than that, it set a dangerous precedent, any ruler who came after him could disregard the laws when it suited them if Duncan himself were to disregard it.

He sighed.

"Alright, alright, what his options.

"Banishment or death, my Lord." Anthony stated.

Anthony himself wasn't too keen on this particular case. Like nearly everyone else in the kingdom, he had come to respect Halt a great deal; but he would still do his duty.

Crowley was loathing every moment of this. He knew that he would have to personally expel Halt from the Ranger Corps; he would have to remove his best friend from doing what he loved.

Halt knew that Duncan would banish him rather than execute him. Just like he knew that Crowley would have to expel him from the Ranger Corps. His only solace came from the fact that he would be able to save Will... and the princess, he supposed.

"Banishment then." Duncan ordered miserably.

"And expulsion from the Ranger Corps." Crowley added in a quiet voice.

Hearing the words didn't make it any easier for Halt.

"Very well," sighed Duncan, "Halt, you are hereby expelled from the Ranger Corps, effective immediately, and banished from the Kingdom of Araluen for a period of twelve months."

"What!" Anthony exclaimed.

Crowley allowed himself a small grin. At least he would be able to come back

"He's still being banished, isn't he?" snapped Duncan.

"Well yes, my Lord, but..." Anthony wasn't eager to be remembered as the one who banished Halt O'Carrick so he let the matter go.

Duncan turned back to Halt.

"You have forty-eight hours to leave the Kingdom of Araluen, good luck." Duncan added.

* * *

Halt was saddling Abelard. He'd need to be off soon. Despite the fact that his goal had ultimately been a success, he wasn't totally happy. Being a ranger was all he had know for most of his life, now he wasn't even part of the Corps. He would also miss Crowley and Gilan, they were his closest friends; though he would be missing Lady Pauline very much as well. Crowley came up behind him.

"Halt..." he began.

"Don't apologize, it's my own damn fault." Halt said mournfully.

"At least let me ride with you for a bit." said Crowley. "Gilan will come as well."

"Is that supposed to make feel better or worse?" Halt asked, only half-joking.

"Please." Crowley insisted.

"Fine."

* * *

The glum trio of riders came to a stop, the pouring rain was fitting for their collective moods.

Well, gentlemen, this is were I eave you." Halt said in a falsely happy tone.

Gilan and Crowley bade Halt farewell and were about to turn away when Crowley remembered one of his official duties.

"I'm sorry, Halt, but I'm going to need your oakleaf."

Halt felt a rushing weight of sadness that he hadn't felt since he'd watched Will sail away. He was greatful for the pouring rain, it masked the few tears that leaked from his eyes.

"I was really hoping you'd forget." He said sadly.

He took off the silver oakleaf that marked him as a ranger and handed it to Crowley.

"I'm sorry." was all he said before he rode off. He knew that Gilan would want to say goodbye privately.

"I'm coming with you." Stated the younger ranger.

Halt had a feeling this would happen. Gilan was no fool. He'd figured out Halt's plan and now anted to make up for his mistakes.

"Gilan, you can't-"

"I'm coming with you." He said again. "The sooner you accept it, the sooner we find Will."

Normally, Halt would have been able to convince Gilan to stay, but the fog sadness in his mind was too much.

"Fine."

* * *

The plan was simple.

They'd ride to a harbor town where they would get passage across the Narrow Sea to Gallica, where they would ride through Gallica and

The duo was riding on path on a bath through a wooded area when their horses gave their riders a low warning. They were being watched. They heard a rustling in the trees to their left. Halt and Gilan both loaded an arrow, drew, and aimed at the source in a heartbeat.

Before them was a single mounted warrior. He had a simple, conical helmet with a nasal to protect the wearer's nose and an aventail to protect the back of his neck and head. The rider also wore the plain white surcoat of an apprentice over a chain mail hauberk. On his left arm he had a buckler strapped. At his waist was a shorter arming sword. On the horse's side was a two-handed broadsword with thirty-inch blade

"Horace!" Gilan exclaimed.

"What the blazes are you doing here?" Halt demanded.

"I'm coming with you." Responded the warrior apprentice

Halt rolled his eyes, he was getting quite tired of that particular sentence.

"No." he said firmly.

He knew that Horace blamed himself for Will and Princess Cassandra's capture. Even, though it is likely that nothing would've changed had Horace tried to fend off the Scandians by Will's side.

"You could always use an extra sword to watch your back." Horace persisted.

"I've already got one of those." Halt said, pointing at Gilan.

"Don't throw away your chance to become a knight, Horace." said Gilan. "You can't just ;eave battleschool, you'll be certainly be kicked out withing two days of being gone."

"But I have Sir Rodney's permission, unofficial, of course." Horace responded

"Of course," mimicked Halt.

Horace glared at him.

"I see no reason why you shouldn't come then." said Gilan.

He like Horace. He was honorable and chivalrous to the core, a true knight through and through, not to mention, a natural with a sword.

"Except that he'll slow us down and that it'll be a very dangerous journey not fit for an apprentice." Halt chimed in.

Horace opened his mouth to respond but Gilan beat him to it.

"Come on Halt, he'll hardly slow us down, not to mention he's very handy with a blade." said the younger ranger.

Halt, of course, knew this. He had seen him dispatch of Alda, Bryn, and Jerome with almost comical ease the previous year; and he knew that the young warrior had only improved since then. He had also been present when he'd killed Morgarath, a feat that precious few knights would have had a chance at doing.

Once again, he found himself saying a word he starting to despise.

"Fine."

_**To Be Continued...**_

**(A/N: I felt that it would be important to change Halt's side of the story a bit by adding Gilan; I've always wondered what it would be like if he had ended up coming along with Halt and Horace, how that would play out with their adventures in Gallica. Though, this side of the story will ****definitely be taking a back seat to Will and Evanlyn's story.**


	9. Hallasholm

**Prisoners**

**Chapter Nine**

_**"Hallasholm"**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Ranger's Apprentice _or any of its characters.**

Will looked out over the smooth, blue sea, he was leaning against the bulwarks on the Port side. A sense of dread and foreboding hung over him like storm cloud. Evanlyn, of course, noticed this and understood why. She walked over to the bulwarks and leaned next to Will. They had been at sea for a couple of days now; initially, they had both been content due the change of scenery and the lack of the sadistic skirl, Slagor. Now, however, the melancholy of their future prospects at Hallasholm had set in.

No words were spoken between them. For now, all they needed was each other's presence. It was very possible that they wouldn't even have that in a little over a week. They simply intertwined their hands.

Erak, with his commanding view of the deck saw their sorrow and decided that there was nothing to gain from keeping them in suspense about their fate. He called Svengel over. Erak himself wouldn't deliver the news; he wouldn't be seen to do something so sentimental. Svengel, though, would be happy to deliver the news that they would be able to stay together.

"Yes, Boss?" Svengel inquired

Erak pointed at Will and Evanlyn.

"Could you tell them that they'll be together working at the Great Hall?" Erak asked.

It was clear that the depressed attitude of the two prisoners was bringing down Erak and Svengel's morale as well.

"Of course," said Svengel excitedly, "I was wondering why you'd waited this long, truth be told."

"Alright, alright," responded Erak, "just get on with it."

Svengel nodded and strode towards the two Araluens. He understood why they were so upset. They were under the impresion that, once they reached Hallasholm, they would be isolated from their only connection to their home; not to mention that they were in love with each other. Will and Evanlyn both heard the bulky Scandian coming and turned to face him. They were taken aback somewhat by the cheery smile on Svengel's face.

"Erak's got news for you two." he said in the typically gruff and cursory Scandian manner.

Will made a hand gesture indicating for him to continue.

"We've noticed you two moping about because you're all sad that you'll be losing each other when you get to Hallasholm." Svengel elaborated.

"And..." Will prompted.

Svengel was momentarily taken aback by Will's sarcastic manner but recovered quickly when he remembered the distraught status of the two youths.

"And I'm here to tell you that you don't need to be so worried anymore." Svengel continued.

Will and Evanlyn exchanged confused glances.

"Gorlog's beard, you two are supposed to be sharp! Erak devised a way for you guys to stay together in Hallasholm, he-"

Whatever Svengel was about to say was cut off by gasps of shock from the two Araluens and a passionate embrace between the two lovers. They clung to each other as tears of joy ran down their faces. Svengel decided to finish what he had been attempting to say before.

"He said you'd be able to work in Ragnak's great hall together. they're always needing more hands. It's better than most places you could be sold to." _Unless you get sent to The Yard, _Svengel decided to keep that last thought to himself. Svengel then turned and walked back to the slightly raised platform the steering oar was on. He thought it would be better to let the two captives share this triumph, no matter how trivial it seemed in the long run.

Meanwhile, Will and Evanlyn's arms were still firmly wrapped around each other.

"We'll be together." Will said, his voice thick with emotion.

"We'll be okay." Evanlyn whispered back.

* * *

Slagor, as usual, was not in a good mood. While Erak and his crew had left for Hallasholm, he was forced to stay back with the gloomy landscape of Skorgkijl. Had he been a less proud man, he might've registered that his and his crew's predicament was his own fault. But now, clouded by anger and rage, Slagor slaked angrily on gravely beach while his men repaired _Wolf Fang. _He heard Gundar come up behind him.

"The ship's almost ready, Skirl." Gundar said.

They had been alone on the island for over a week now. Since Erak's departure, the work had increased dramatically since Gundar and Tostig were no longer the only ones allowed to work on the skip. In truth, they would likely be under way in mere day or two. The mast now stood proud over the ship, the hull was intact, yet still heavily patched. The vessel was seaworthy again, though they would need to make a stop in Sonderland or perhaps go all the to the Eastlands for more supplies, as most of their food stores had been either made inedible by the storm they plowed through or had been eaten during their time on the island.

"It's about time." Slagor grunted back.

As soon as he was back in Skandia, he vowed he would find wherever Erak's two slaves were sent to and finish his task of retribution. His hatred for them had only increased since he was forced to laboriously tend to Erak's ship. Were he less proud or more sane man, he would've at least taken some responsibility for his psychotic torture methods he had employed on Will and Evanlyn. But he was not a sane man. And he would have his revenge.

* * *

Will and Evanlyn leaned against the bulwarks, staring out at the landscape surrounding them in awe. _Wolfwind _was cruising though a beautiful, massive fjord, the rocky cliffs with the deep greenery to contrast against it was simply stunning. That mixed with the dark, pure blue waters made the Hallasfjiord a natural wonder. For a moment, they both forgot they on their way to life-long bondage. They were only broken from their trance-like state by heavy footfalls behind them.

"It's quite something isn't it?" said Horak. "They say the gods carved these fjords themselves, you know?"

"It's breathtaking." responded Evanlyn.

Will nodded in agreement.

As the wolfship rounded a bend in the waterway and there, at the end of the inlet, lay the sprawling city of Hallasholm. It wasn't particularly big so perhaps _city _was a strong word but, nonetheless, it was a fairly sizable settlement.

"Oars!" Erak bellowed from his position at the steering oar.

The wind had carried them through water; now, with their sail down, they instead rowed into port so as not to risk ramming the dock. The inlet itself widened considerably by the docks, as if nature had known a harbor would someday lie there.

The town itself wasn't too remarkable. The buildings were all wooden, spread out with no real thought as to where they should be building did, however, stand out. Will could only assume that it was Ragnak's great hall. It was far larger than any of the other buildings in Hallasholm; it also seemed to be surrounded by stables and labor yards that would keep the town running during particularly difficult winters. obviously, from a beauty and defensive perspective, it didn't hold a candle to Castle Redmont.

As the ship came closer to the dock, Will saw a crowd of people gathered at the harbor, either to greet their loved ones. The were wives, children, and siblings there to greet the returning sea wolves. I t did make Will a little homesick for Redmont, however.s

The ship was brought and the men on the dock threw lines out to _Wolfwind. _The ship was docked and the raiders jumped down to the dock, grateful to finally be home again.

Erak looked out over the crowd, he saw Nordal's wife and children looking anxiously around to see the now-deceased warrior. It was always unpleasant to bear the bad news for the relatives of the dead. At least Nordal had died in combat; surely he was dining with the gods in Valhalla. His family would at least be able to take pride in that, he thought.

The Jarl's somber mood, however, was lifted completely when he saw his beautiful wife, Hilda, waving at his from the crowd, a glowing smile on her face. He returned the wave and smile. Unfortunately, he would only be able to greet he now; afterwards, he would have to talk to Nordal's family. Then, he would have to take Will and Evanlyn to the great hall for them to be assigned their new jobs, or rather, new lives. But, at least, he would be able to come home to her in late hours of the evening. A time he was very much looking forward to.

As he waved at his wife, one of his best warriors, Bjorn, came up behind him.

"Glad to be back, Erak?" he asked as he put an arm around him.

"Happier than I've been in a long time." Erak replied.

"I bet," said Bjorn, "you're lucky to have someone to come home to like Hilda."

"I couldn't agree more." Erak replied.

Then, a thought struck him. He turned to face Bjorn.

"Get Svengel Borg, Arne, and Torstein." he said. Those four and Bjorn were the best warriors Erak had under his command. As well as the most loyal. "I'm worried about Slagor; I want to be he won't do anything... rash."

Bjorn understood what Erak meant. He, like the rest of his crew, had seen Will and Evanlyn after Slagor and two of his men had their way with them.

"I'll gather them, don't worry." Bjorn assured Erak.

"Good," Erak replied, Erak knew Slagor; he knew that he would come back into Hallasholm with a fiery vengeance against Will and Evanlyn, who would be unable to defend themselves. "I've got a very bad feeling about that Skirl."

* * *

Will and Evanlyn were escorted to Ragnak's great hall. As they walked towards the grand doors to the hall, Will and Evanlyn both saw an unsettling sight. A group of skinny, shambling individuals hauling several large logs. Among this group, one stood out; he looked to be around Will's age. While all those around him had glazed, unseeing eyes, this boy's eyes shone with determination and grit. He was clearly skinny from a lack of food but his arms were well-muscled from lifting and hauling heavy things.

This seemingly tough individual turned his gaze towards them. His eyes still showed determination and grit, as well as an analytical intelligence. And a deep sadness too.

Evanlyn turned to Will.

"Is that going to happen to us?" She asked nervously.

When Will could not answer, Erak did instead.

"Not likely," he grunted. "You'll at least be fine," he pointed to Evanlyn.

"And Will?" She prompted.

"Just pray to the gods that neither of you end up in The Yard."

As they entered the hall, Erak saw Borsa, Ragnak's accountant and aide.

"Borsa! My old friend!" Erak called.

The truth was, Erak did not like Borsa. A fact that Borsa was well aware of. Erak understood his value as an accountant but he was no warrior, and thus, not considered by many to be a true Scandian.

"Erak, what can I do for you?" Borsa's voice had a slight lacing of sarcasm in it.

"Could the hall use some new slaves?" Asked Erak, pointing at Will and Evanlyn behind him.

"Of course," said Borsa, "we can always use more slaves."

"Good," said Erak, "I'll leave them with you."

The burly jarl turned to face the two prisoners behind him. As he walked past, Will could've sworn he heard Erak say "God luck."

When Erak had gone, Borsa called for a trio of guards to come over. He sized up the two Araluens that stood before him. The boy was clearly strong and looked as though he was very resilient. The girl looked as though she had never had to do any hard work in her life, though she did look to have a strong will.

"Send the girl to the kitchens," he ordered.

The next words out of his mouth were exactly what Will and Evanlyn had feared since they saw the group of slaves outside.

"Send the boy to the yard."

Two of the guards pulled Will towards them and started to walk off, half carrying Will. He didn't dare fight back as the consequences would likely be astronomical.

"Will!" Evanlyn cried as the other guard pulled on her sleeve and started to lead her towards the kitchens.

"Don't worry, Evanlyn!" Will, ever optimistic called back, "I'll be okay."

Borsa smiled to himself It was cruel smile, it was a smile devoid of any humor. _If only he knew what he had coming, _thought Borsa.

_**To Be Continued...**_

**(A/N: So Will's bondage begins. I'm not particularly proud of this chapter, as it was mostly filler. In case you didn't notice, I'm planning on adding some Skandian and slave OCs. Let me know what you think of this idea. As always, thanks for reading!)**


	10. Chevaliers and Slaves

**Prisoners**

**Chapter Ten**

**"Chevaliers and Slaves"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Ranger's Apprentice _or any of its characters.**

**(A/N: First thing's first, "chevalier" means "Knight" in French and since Gallica represents France, I thought it was a proper fit. Also, on a different note, since Pitca is supposed to be Scotland and Hibernia is Ireland, would Celtica be Wales? Considering the historical context of Medieval England and Wales, it would make sense.)**

Halt, Gilan, and Horace had been riding through Gallica with little incident. Until they came across a particular bridge with a particularly obnoxious knight guarding it. He demanded that the three of the paid tribute to him if they wished to pass him and use the bridge.

"Bit of a nuisance, isn't it?" Halt remarked as he drew back his bow to strike down the annoying guardian.

"What's that?" inquired Horace.

"Oh nothing," Halt remarked offhandedly, "just that it'll be annoying when all of this tosser's friends start scouring the countryside for us when they see that he's been killed 'dishonorably.'"

"But he's not exactly being honorable by robbing passing peasants that he knows can't defend themselves." Said Horace.

"I know," said Gilan, "It's all a great load of rubbish isn't it?"

"Indeed," Halt said lowly as he brought the bow back to full draw once more.

"Wait!" exclaimed Horace just before Halt loosed his arrow.

The grizzled old ranger rolled his eyes.

"What?" he asked irritably.

"Well, if defeating his dishonorably will elicit such a response, then maybe I should challenge him." Horace suggested.

Halt was taken aback by the soundness of Horace's plan, he tended to seem like the average hack-and-slasher. Gilan, on the other hand, knew better than to be surprised.

"Brilliant idea, mate!" Gilan encouraged the young apprentice.

"Wait," said Halt, "he'll only fight you if you're a knight, which you are not."

Horace's face fell from the triumphant glow it had previously.

"Not to worry," said Gilan, "we can just say that he is, that oaf won't know any better."

"He doesn't seem particularly bright, does he?" said Horace, who cast a meaningful look at the chevalier perched on the bridge

Gilan pointed at the knight who sat atop his mount on the bridge. Speaking of the knight, he was growing very impatient and, much to Halt's annoyance, continued calling out to them to make a decision.

"Good idea," said Halt.F

In truth, he had thought of the idea of merely saying Horace was a knight but the teacher in him would never pass up the opportunity to make his apprentice think, even if Gilan was technically a fully-fledged ranger.

"I can't impersonate a knight!" said Horace incredulously, "That goes against everything the Sir Rodney would want from me."

"On the contrary," said Gilan, "Rodney's a smart bloke, he'd probably do the same thing if he were in your shoes."

Horace made a show of putting his head in his hands.

"Fine," he conceded.

And so it was that Horace would be a knight.

At first, the Gallic knight refused to accept Horace's challenge because he didn't believe that Horace was an actual knight until Halt introduced him as

_Feuille de Chêne Chevalier_ or The Oak Leaf Knight. Or, by Halt's own admission, The Oak Leaf Pancake. The Gallic knight was as honorable as ever and decided to use his lance against Horace, who just had his broadsword and arming sword.

Horace latched his helmet on and strapped his buckler shield to his arm. He drew his arming sword.

"Ready, _Monsieur!_" The knight challenged in heavily accented Araluen.

"Ready," Horace responded with a nod.

The Gallic knight folded down the visor of his greathelm, crouched over his lance, and charged at Horace. Most men, mounted or not, would have been terrified to see a fully armored knight on horseback charging them but, Horace was a trained warrior, and a good one at that. He could see that the opposing knight was holding his lance poorly and that he was sat on is horse incorrectly. He was not worried in the slightest.

The two mounted warriors met with a resounding crash. The Gallic knight's lance was deflected off the side of Horace's shield. Horace took advantage of the opening by bringing his sword down on his helmet with a quick, powerful downward slash. The two combatants rode back to their starting positions and wheeled their horses around for a second pass. The Gallic knight's lance was momentarily caught on Horace's shield, giving the young warrior time to bring his sword down on the lance itself. The force of the blow toe the lance from the Gallic knight's grip. As they both turned back for a third pass, the knight drew an arming sword of his own and leveled it Horace in a vain attempt to appear menacing.

As the two warriors met, Horace opened with with a horizontal cut that the Gallic knight blocked with his shield. The two warriors' horses began circling each other as their riders rained blows on each other. Horace parried a clumsy thrust from the Gallic knight and, using the momentum of his opponents thrust, flicked his blade down in a fast and deadly arc to his helmet, leaving a serious indent on the top of the knight's greathelm. The Gallic knight attempted a slash at Horace, who easily blocked it with his shield. Horace then responded with a thrust that the Gallic knight once again blocked with his shield.

With his confidence bolstered by another block, the Gallic knight rained blow after after blow on Horace, who was barely able to block all the attacks with his small Buckler min-shield. The Gallic knight, lost in a crazed frenzy of savage slashes, completely lowered his shield. Horace saw this opening and, between the short and savage slashes of the Gallic knight, rammed his blade through his chest with a short, powerful thrust. The blade, with Horace's full power behind it, punched through the knight's hauberk. Blood stained the Gallican's surcoat, the red clashing violently with the light blue. The tip of Horace's sword was tinted red. With a strangled cry, muted by the helmet, the Gallic knight toppled backwards from his saddle, landing with a crash on the dirt path. The two rangers rode up on Horace's sides.

"I had no choice," Horace stated mournfully. "It was either me or him."

"Sometimes you can't afford to spare your opponents, you have to always be ready to kill whoever you're fighting, no matter what." Halt told him gruffly.

"Right," Horace acknowledged grimly.

With that, the trio set off over the bridge that the now-dead knight had been so adamant on defending.

* * *

Will shivered from the biting cold. His sore muscles were given no break as he and the boy he had seen on his way into the hall were ordered to haul a third great log to the wood-splitting area, where they would be forced to split the log into smaller fire logs to be used by those who resided in and around the great hall.

Will's knees were shaking, his arms were trembling but even still, the two boys carried the log across The Yard. When the duo reached the wood-splitting area, the two boys dropped the log with a collective grunt. The tow of them rolled the log up onto a set of pegs to keep the log elevated. They then took a saw with a handle with handles on opposite sides.

"Ready?" asked the boy tiredly.

Will nodded.

The two boys pumped the saw back and forth until the log was cut through. The duo proceeded to cut ht log into smaller logs to split them with an ax. The other boy put one such log on a splitting block, grabbed the ax, and started splitting the wood. Once the first one had been finished, Will set another log on the block.

Eventually, after the boy had split several more logs, he began to tire. His breathing grew ragged and his muscles trembled.

"Here," said Will, "We'll rotate."

"Thanks," replied the boy as he passed Will the ax.

The young apprentice Ranger swung till his a were numb and all the logs were properly split into fire wood. Their day had only just begun.

* * *

Evanlyn had gotten used to the gruffness of Skandians on Skorghijl, but the complete absence of manners continued to shock her whenever she was present during a feat. Needless to say, the cleanup afterwards was a nightmare.

Between to cruel overseers of the kitchen to the snide and haughty chamber slaves, Evanlyn felt completely boxed in and alone. Evanlyn had found herself wishing for something she never thought she'd want. She wanted to be back on Skorghijl. Erak had never seemed like a terribly cruel man; the kitchen master almost made him look friendly. The workload hadn't been nearly as bad. But most importantly, she had been with Will.

She wouldn't particularly mind still being on Skorghijl with Will and Erak's crew, as long Slagor wasn't there, that is. Slagor had been the most horrible person she had ever met. She was shocked to find that she missed the baron, rocky wastes of Skorghijl.

She knew one thing for certain, however.

She needed Will now more than ever.

* * *

That night, Will collapsed exhausted onto the barn floor where are Yard slaves resided. He pulled his holey and dirty burlap blanket over his shivering form. Nearly everyone else was asleep, everyone other than the boy he had been splitting wood with.

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

"Will," Will answered tiredly, "I'm from Araluen."

"I'm Cadel, I'm from Celtica," the boy replied.

"How long have you been here?" Will asked.

"A little over a year," Cadel responded, "at least, I think so, I lost count of days long ago."

Will didn't know what to say to that.

"I saw you earlier," said Cadel, "you were taken here by Jarl Erak with a girl, who is she, by the way?"

"Evanlyn," Will replied wistfully.

Cadel chuckled dryly.

"You sound love struck," he remarked.

"That's because I am," Will replied with conviction, I love her more than life itself."

"I'm sorry," Cadel responded morosely, "I can't imagine being taken with someone you care about. Having to be split apart, only seeing each other enough to see how you're both dying."

Will said nothing to that. That feeling of dread that had been building in him since had been taken had fully engulfed him.

_**To be Continued...**_


	11. Warriors

**Prisoners**

**Chapter Eleven**

**"Warriors"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Ranger's Apprentice _or any of its characters.**

Another shrill cry echoed across The Yard. The cry was followed in quick succession by a sharp _Crack! _Another cry. A circle of Yard slaves was gathered around the sight. A Hibernian boy was being held in place by two, much larger, slaves and being flogged by a third. They were the "elite" in The Yard. The slaves that were just a little bit higher up than the rest. Somehow, they had gained the trust of the overseer of The Yard and were tasked with keeping the others in-lone. There were also, of course, some perks to their new job; they got isolated quarters in a separate room in the barn where all the slaves slept as well as warm fur clothing to keep out the cold and better food.

The Hibernian boy had done something to offend the slave with the whip. And now, he was being punished. Will and Cadel were part of the observing circle, they watched, horrified as the boy was whipped again.

"Let this serve as an example to all who would dare step out of line!" The one with the whip paused to speak to the amassed crowd. His accent gave him away as a Teut.

As the flogging continued, Cadel spoke quietly to Will. The two of the had become friend since they had split the wood together.

"I know that boy," he said, "His name's Ayden, he's about our age."

"Do you now what he did?" Will asked.

"No," replied Cadel, "but I'm not all that surprised. He's always been a fighter, and rebellious one at that."

As Cadel finished, Ayden, in between whip strikes, drove his knee into the stomach of one of the men holding him in place. The man was flung off of the Hibernian, giving him time to turn push the other retainer off of him. Ayden turned and charged the slave with the whip, only to be struck across the face by said whip and sent sprawling in the snow.

As Ayden struggled to rise to his feet, he was pelting with more whip strikes until a voice interrupted him.

"That's enough!" Will declared firmly.

"You want to stand up for the _Arschloch_? Well be my guest!" the man with the whip spat out in response.

As the man brought the whip back, Cadel ran out from the crowd and tackled his to the ground. The other slave dropped the whip and attempted to slow the Celt off of him. It was at about this this time that the overseer, a cruel man named Ivarr, noticed the commotion and decided to investigate.

While Cadel was holding the Teut down, two massive hands grabbed the collar of his shirt and tore him off other slave.

"What's going on here?" Ivarr snarled.

"Just keeping this _hurtyn _from killing another slave," Cadel answered hotly.

It was the wrong thing to say. A massive fist struck Cadel's face, sending him sprawling in the snow.

"Change your tone boy!" Ivarr growled at the fallen slave before him.

The Teut, who Cadel had called _hurtyn_, scrambled back to his feet. He was, after all, a "dignified" head slave.

"You!" Ivarr seized the Teut by the collar of his tunic, "You'tr supposed to be a head slave, behave like one!"

Ivarr shoved the hurtyn to the ground.

"Get back to work!" He bellowed to the slaves amassed there.

With that, Ivarr walked off.

When Ivarr had left, Will helped Ayden up to his feet.

"Thanks, mate," said Ayden, wincing slightly as he came to his feet.

"Don't mention it," Will replied.

Cadel got up to his feet and walked over to Will and Ayden.

"Hell of a show, Ayden!" he called.

"I try," Ayden answered his friend.

Ayden was, like Cadel, skinny from the lack of food but with strong arms from the heavy work. He has dirty blonde hair unlike Will and Cadel, who had lighter brown than. Though Cadel's was a couple shades lighter than Will's.

"This is Will," Cadel introduced.

"A pleasure to meet ya," Ayden offered his hand.

Will took it.

"You too," he replied.

"You three had best get back to work!" The Teut who had whipped Ayden called out.

"Sure thing, Hurtyn," Cadel called back

The Celt seemed very pleased with his response but neither of his friend understood what he had called the Teut, who was a good couple of years older than any of them.

"In all seriousness, though, we probably should get back to work," remarked Will.

"Yeah," Ayden agreed, "I'm in no hurry to get flogged like that again."

* * *

Erak, Svengel, and Horak knocked on the door of a certain house in Hallasholm. The door opened to reveal Bjorn.

"Come in, come in," he urged the,.

The two entered the house and Erak was happy to see that Bjorn had followed his instructions. Borg, Arne, and Torsten. Borg was an older, grizzled warrior, his long, blonde hair was streaked with grey, he had fought all around the world, Araluen, Sonderland, Gallica, the Eastlands, and Teutlandt. Arne was younger than Borg and a very nimble and light footed warrior. Torsten was a great friend of Arne's as well one of the few Scandians who was proficient with the bow and arrow. They were the best of Erak's crew.

"I'm glad you all showed up," began Erak, "I bet you're all wondering why you're here?"

"You've got that right," remarked Borg gruffly.

"You're here," Erak continued, "because of the threat posed by Slagor the Brutal."

"Is that was they're calling him now?" Arne jested.

"I believe that, when he returns, he will want to wage war against me," said Erak.

"Could possibly be because you humiliated him on Skjorcijil?" Arne asked rhetorically.

"That is the concern, yes," Svengel answered.

"How can he wage war, surely Ragnak wouldn't allow that?" Torsten suggested.

"Ragnak way be heavy-handed with collecting his taxes but he doesn't particularly care if his jarls fight amongst themselves," said Erak.

"But Slagor's not a jarl," Torsten insisted.

"We all know that Slagor basically controls Jarl Olaf," grumbled Borg.

"So you think Slagor will be able to get Olaf to march his men against Erak?" inquired Bjorn.

Erak was a jarl, meaning he owned land. He ruled three towns and had nine wolfships under his command, meaning that he could order them and their crews to war, though the Oberjarl usually had to call upon a jarls forces in order for them to legally be allowed to assemble his forces for more than a simple foreign raid. However, Ragnak was not like most Oberjarls, he made sure his jarls paid their taxes on time, but he didn't particularly care if his jarls fought among themselves.

"We'll need to rally all the fighting men," Svengel said grimly.

"We'll have less than normal since we lost the _Wolfstooth _to storms after the war in Araluen," assessed Bjorn.

"Not to mention that all ships must've taken some casualties in the war," said Borg.

"Must you always be so grim?" said Arne.

"No, no, he's right," said Erak.

"You're forgetting," said Arne, "that Olaf will have likely lost similar amounts of men."

Olaf owned only two towns and seven ships. His two towns, Jurginthorpe and Vestthorpe, collectively known as Wearthorpe, while Erak's collection of three towns, Osby, Raekby, and Thorkby was known as Werenby. When war had broken out with Araluen, Werenby had been among the territories told to send troops. Erak had mustered two-hundred warriors for the campaign, as nearly forty men were needed to fully man all of a wolfships oars. Erak knew that he had lost fifty men in the sinking of _Wolfstooth. _He had only needed to bring four ships since several other jarls, including Ragnak's now-deceased son had led men across the sea.

Erak also knew that the Scandian force had been decimated at the battle of Thorntree forest, meaning that most of his men had likely been killed. Olaf of Wearthorpe, however, had not had to send any ships to Araluen. Slagor had merely been a fool and tried to get any early start of raiding season while the Summer Gales still ravaged the seas.

"We must prepare," said Erak, "we leave for Werenby at dawn."

* * *

Evanlyn had been made used to the typical kitchen chores expected of a house slave when she worked for Erak's crew of Skorghijl. Even with the rather boisterous manner of the Scandians. All things considered, her conditions weren't too bad. The sleeping was crowded, the work never-ceasing, and the punishments were harsh.

Currently, an older, Gallic slave, called Isabella, was treating a bruise on Evanlyn's cheek. One of Ragnak's jarls had given it to her when she'd spilled his ale. Evanlyn was just glad to have Isabella there. The Gallican had made it her mission to take care of her. During the few quiet moments she had, her mind always went to Will, who she hadn't seen him since Borsa had split them up. She was worried. Very worried.

"Your thoughts dwell on him?" said Isabella, as if reading Evanlyn's mind.

Evanlyn nodded solemnly.

"I've seen those Yard slaves a couple of times and I.. I just hope Will hasn't been broken like they have," said Evanlyn.

A single tear fell from her eye. This was a surprisingly rare occasion as Evanlyn was a tomboyish, daring, and brave girl. She did not cry often, but now? When she knew that the man she loved was in mortal peril and that there was nothing she could do about it? Evanlyn cried.

"I can't lose him!" Evanlyn was sobbing now.

Isabella stopped cleaning Evanlyn's bruise. The Gallican woman wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl in front of her.

"Do not fret," she said comfortingly, "if what you've told me about this Will is true, than he'll make it."

Evanlyn hoped she was right.

* * *

Will was cold, colder than he'd ever been before. His threadbare clothing did very little to fight against the cold. On top of that, he was soaked. He, Cadel, Ayden, and another slave had been told to work "The Paddles," the most brutal assignment in The Yard. They had been assigned there by the head slaves after their stunt the previous day, they didn't know why the other boy was there, nor did they care.

"Come on lads!" Ayden wheezed as they pulled on the cranks. "All together now!" the Hibernian tried to inspire the others.

They all grunted as they turned the wheel again. The water that the blades tossed up drenched the laborers in freezing water that turned to ice in the slaves' hair.

Eventually, their work on "The Paddles" was finished, passed on to four more unfortunate souls that how irked the head slaves. As the three friends walked to their next work station, Will turned to face Cadel.

"I was wondering something," he said, "What was it that you called that Teut with the whip?"

"Hurtyn?" Cadel asked.

Will nodded.

"Ya, that," Will confirmed

"Hurtyn is the Celtic word for idiot," Cadel explained, "I figured suited that Teut quite well."

"Indeed," agreed Will.

"And now," declared Ayden, "He shall forever be known as 'Hurtyn'"

The three friends laughed at that, a momentary distraction from the cold.

"What were you two before you were taken if you don't mind my asking," asked Ayden.

"I was an apprentice ranger," responded Will. "It was a great life, full of hunting and training... and my friends."

"A fabled Araluen ranger, eh? Not bad," said Ayden in admiration. "I was just helpin' out on me dad's farm, I was training to be a warrior though."

"Same here," said Cadel, "I was being trained for war for a couple of years. When the Scandians came, I tried to help the village fend them off but they either killed or took everyone, including my family. The only reason the raiding bastards let me live was because they said they liked my fighting spirit. Not nly that, but the man to take me, and to kill my father was Ivarr, the damned taskmaster!" Cadel finished hotly.

The other two looked at him in astonishment.

"He hadn't yet settled down for a life of torturing others, then?" Ayden inquired.

Cadel smirked for a moment.

"No," he said, "I suppose not."

* * *

Ragnak the Red, Oberjarl of Skandia was a fearsome man to behold. His bright red hair may have dulled and grayed, but he was formidable, both in battle and negotiations. Ragnak was a proud man. Proud of his exploits as a warrior and proud of his heritage. It was said that he, Ragnak, was the decedent of Ragnar the Great, the man who had unified the three tribes that had inhabited Scandia. He, however, faced a much more mundane task. roads.

He had summoned jarls Kjartan and Sverri to discuss creating a new road system from Hallasholm to their lands, which were the territories bordering the Scandian capital.

"It is possible, Oberjarl, to do this, however will require much manpower," said Jarl Kjartan, "with raiding season approaching, I don't see how we can convince enough men to stay behind and work and making roads rather than making their fortune on the seas."

"I agree," concurred Sverri, "we'll simply have to postpone the construction of new roads."

"Fine," said Ragnak, "we'll wait till the season is done with."

As their discussion finished, a group of house slaves came in with refreshments and food.

"At least feel free to make yourself at home," said Ragnak.

Plates of meat and horns of ale were set in front of him and the jarls. The girl who put down Ragnak's food had golden hair and a bruise of her cheek. Something about her set Ragnak ill-at-ease. She seemed familiar,yet totally foreign. When he saw her he felt... Angry? He couldn't quite place the feeling, all he knew that this girl would require watching.

* * *

Later, that night, after the work for the day had been finished. Will, Cadel, and Ayden wrapped their burlap "blankets around themselves, though it did next to nothing to lessen the biting cold. There was ice in their hair and water soaked into their clothes.

Will thought of Halt's cabin outside Castle Redmont. He though of Horace and Gilan, his friends. He missed home. But most of all, even though it hadn't really been all that long, he missed Evanlyn. He groaned in anguish at the thought of her. Her soft skin and warm smile. It was clear that Cadel and Ayden were experiencing similar thoughts, though about whom or what Will didn't know. A single tear fell from Will's eye to the hard ground of the barn. The tears quickly multiplied and Will found himself in a well of self-pity.

Cadel sat up and took Will in his arms. The fallen ranger seemed utterly defeated. Ayden looked up at the sight.

"We are warriors," Cadel addressed Will and Ayden firmly, his voice filled with the pain from the works day. "We are warriors," he repeated. "Our time will come."

He shook Will in his arms.

"Look at me Will, look at me," he demanded, his voice choked with emotion "I ask only one thing of you. Work! You will work and you will haul and together we shall win! Together," Cadel affirmed, "for we are warriors."

_**To Be Continued...**_


	12. The Fall

**Prisoners**

**Chapter Eleven**

**"The Fall"**

**Disclaimers: I do not own _Rangers Apprentice_ or any of its characters.**

**Days Earlier...**

_Wolf Fang_, the ship of Slagor the Brutal, arrived in Jurginthorpe, the town where his jarl, Olaf Jurginson, resided.. After mooring his ship, Slagor stormed up to Olaf's hall, Tostig and Gundar by his side. There was a war to be waged and Slagor would need his jarl's support, although, Slagor practically owned Olaf, which was a fact that Olaf himself was keenly aware of.

The guards in front of Olaf's hall didn't even say a word as Slagor and his cohorts strode by. Slagor threw open the doors and confidently walked into the middle of the hall as if he owned the place.

"Slagor," Olaf greeted from his throne, which sat on a slightly raised platform, "I'm glad to see that you're back safe and sound. Although, to tell you the truth, I thought you'd be gone longer, with the plan for raiding season and all."

The other occupants of the hall, Olaf's wife, his guards, and some others sitting at the tables, looked up to see Slagor and companions.

"Well that didn't work out!" shouted Slagor in response, "we got hit with a damned storm and had to repair our ship on Skorghijl. We lost too much rations so we had to turn back."

"I'm most sorry to hear that, my friend," said Olaf quickly, "Come! Sit! have some ale!"

Olaf gestured to a serving girl that had been standing in the corner. She rang off, presumably to fetch beverages for Slagor and his men.

"Come sit with me," said Slagor.

Olaf got up and came down to sit by Slagor.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Quiet!" hissed Slagor, "I don't want everyone to know of my plans before we are ready."

"What plans?" asked Olaf, confused.

"We are going to wage war against Erak Starfollower," said Slagor.

Erak's lands of Werenby just happened to border Wearthorpe.

"What! Against Erak? He's one of Scandia's best warriors! I couldn't possibly wage war on him, he has so much more men and-"

Slagor cut off Olaf's blabbering by putting a hand over the jarl's mouth.

"He;s weakened after the war in Araluen," explained Slagor, "he's lost men, all of his ships likely have some casualties, not to mention that there's a rumor that one of his ships went down in the Stormwhite."

Olaf scratched his bushy, brown beard, it was a habit of his when he was considering something.

"In that case," he said darkly, "let us muster the troops!"

Slagor leaned in.

"I've sent Tostig, Gundar, and. some of your men to Hallasholm to intercept Erak and his men before they ride out or reach Werenby," Slagor whisper to his puppet leader.

"Very good," replied Olaf, "but about my men..."

"I used them, jarl," Slagor interrupted, "and they will end the war before it starts."

* * *

All of the Yard Slaves were summoned by Ivarr. They all stood in a great circle around the taskmaster.

"A merchant ship has arrived in port!" he declared loudly, "I've chosen some of you to go down to the port, under close supervision, to haul the cargo we purchase back up to the Great Hall!"

As it turned out, Will, Cadel, and Ayden were among those selected to go down to the docks. Also, one of the head slaves sent to oversee the others was Hurtyn, which was the insulting Celtic nickname Cadel had given the Teut that had flogged Ayden, meaning idiot.

The slaves were sent under a light guard to the docks. Will saw Borsa shaking hands with the merchant captain of the trading ship. Behind the accountant was an immense mound of crates, all varying in size. The cargo had contained axe heads, spear tips, furs, pelts, and even some spices from the far east. All of that, however, was none of Will's concern. What was his concern was how heavy a crate filled with chain mail armor could be.

"Hurry up, you filthy dogs!" Hurtyn barked at the slaves.

Together, Cadel and Will loaded a large crate on to the cart that they themselves would have to pull up to the Great Hall.

"You think we could escape?" Ayden suggested to his friends as he bent down with another slave to retrieve a crate of axe heads.

While Cadel seemed to ponder it, Will responded immediately.

"No!" he answered firmly, "not while Evanlyn is still here, I can't leave her."

By now, Will had told Cadel and Ayden about Evanlyn, about how he loved her more that anything; though he kept her true identity a secret.

"I respect that," said Cadel thoughtfully, "besides, we'd never make in past the guards."

Out of nowhere, a heavy hand landed on Ayden's shoulder. It was Hurtyn.

"Talking of escape now, are we?" we said sinisterly.

"Of course not," replied Ayden with a wide smile on his face.

Hurtyn grunted.

"Get a move on," he barked, "hurry it up with those boxes!"

The boys heaved their crates up onto the cart as Hurtyn walked away.

"I want to stick that arsehole with a sword almost as bad as I want to stick Ivarr," grumbled Cadel.

"Ya, well you're gonna have to get in line, mate," said Ayden sourly, remembering the merciless flogging that Hurtyn had given him.

"Wait, guys, look," Will pointed at the merchant captain, who was forcing a boy with light brown hair and fine, yet torn, clothes from the ship. He was clearly a few years older than Will, Cadel, or Ayden. The captain approached Borsa

"There one more item to be discussed," said the trader, "this boy is a valuable hostage, perhaps the most valuable thing I have brought to your port."

"And who might he be?" inquired Borsa.

"A Pictish prince," answered the captain.

Borsa summoned two guards to him.

'i want you to escort this boy to the Great Hall, tell Ragnak that he is a valuable hostage and may be up for ransom," Borsa tried to be quiet, though Will, adept at listening into other people's conversations, was able to hear.

But that was not to be the oddest think Will heard. For when the slaves were pulling the cart up to the Great Hall, Will saw a troop of at least twelve horsemen ride past two of them, in particular, looked very familiar. It was Gundar and Tostig. They were heading down to the docks, curiously enough. Suddenly, however, Will was distracted by Ayden's voice.

"All together now, lads!" he called.

Ayden had always like to motivate others.

"Pull!" he yelled

Meanwhile, Hurtyn and the other head slaves merely watched, amused at the suffering of others.

* * *

Gundar and Tostig rode past the struggling slaves without a care in the world. They had seen that Wolfwindwas still moored at the docks, as was another ship under Erak's command, _Wolfsbreath, _it belonged to skirl Borg Bloodaxe. though it was clear that its crews of both ships were preparing to leave.

"We''ll need to ambush them before they reach the docks. If we attack them down there, than have more men than us," observed Gundar.

"We should wait to ambush them here," Tostig agreed.

The _they_ that they referred to was Erak and his closest friends, Svengel, Horak, Bjorn, Borg, Arne, and Torsten.

"Dismount," ordered Gundar, "we're going to take position in the alleyways between the houses, when Erak and his cronies come down this street, we jump out and kill them."

The group got off their horses and took their positions on opposite sides of the road. Gundar drew his sword while Tostig hefted his axe. None of them had shields, but it was unlikely that Erak and his men would have their shields with them also. They were ready to kill.

* * *

Finally, the cart had reached its destination. The slaves who had been pulling let out a great with of relief and began to lean on the cart.

"What are you doing?" Hurtyn shouted, " your job's not finished yet! Move the boxes to the storerooms now. "

Cadel grimaced.

"Once more into the fray," he said sarcastically .

Will groaned. He had never been so worn out, not even when Halt's training had been at its most grueling. He and Cadel lifted a heavy box of iron ingots. They grunted at the weight but managed to carry it easily enough. They brought the box to one of the many storerooms that lies on the outside of the Great Hall. Inside was a sight that Will had only dreamed of seeing. As if she were an angelic vision, Evanlyn.

The two boys dropped the box on the floor and Will rushed to meet Evanlyn, their faces showing an immense amount of they met, the embraced tenderly and, for one brief, sweet moment, their lips met.

"I think I'll just... leave you two alone then," said Cadel as he moved to leave .

"Are you okay?" Evanlyn asked frantically .

"Better now," replied Will.

Then, Will saw the bruise on her cheek.

"Who did this? He demanded angrily.

"Calm down, Will," Evanlyn admonished, " it was just one of Ragnak's stupid jarls. "

Evanlyn also noticed how worn down and disheveled Will looked. His hair had grown past his shoulders and he was covered in dirt and grime, not to mention , several bruises and cuts of his own.

"What are you doing here?" Will felt he had this ask.

"Our slavemaster told us to wait in the storerooms for supplies to be dropped off, " she explained.

"I'm so glad to see you," Will said with a bright smile , a smile Evanlyn had longed to see.

The young couple was still embracing when Cadel came back in.

"I hate to get in the way, I really do," he said in a rush, " but you've got to get back, " he told Will, "Hurtyn is starting to get a bit pissy wondering where you're off too."

" Of course, " Will groaned.

"I'll see you soon," said Evanlyn to Will.

" I certainly hope so, " replied Will.

He then left Evanlyn's warm embrace and entered back into the Scandian cold outside.

"Sorry, my lady," Cadel apologized to Evanlyn courteously as the two boys left.

When they got back to the cart, which had almost been emptied by the others, Will and Cadel speeds met with a very angry Hurtyn walking towards them. The big, blonde slave's first were balled and his eyes mad.

"Where the he'll have you two been?" He demanded angrily .

"We were just-"

Will didn't get to finish his explanation, as Hurtyn had punched him in the face. The force of which threw the exhausted Will from his feet. Ayden, who was returning to get another crate, saw this unfold.

"Oi!" He yelled as he ran to meet Hurtyn.

The larger, older slave pointed with malevolence at the charging Hibernian.

"Don't," he said menacingly.

AYden stopped in his tracks, not eager to receive another flogging. Cadel, on the other hand, had no such fears. As Hurtyn was turning back to attempt to intimidate him, Cadel punched Hurtyn in the face, following up with a kick to the stomach.

"Don't touch my friends again," the Celt said darkly.

"And what will you do about it?" Hurtyn challenged.

As he said this, Hurtyn swung his fist back at Cadel, who wasn't able to dodge. He stumbled back as Hurtyn regained his footing.

"Your insolence will be punished!" The angry Teut yelled.

Hurtyn sent a flurry of punched at Cadel, hoping to crush his opponent . Cadel sidestepped the furious rain of blows before striking at Hurtyn's belly with carefully-timed uppercuts. Hurtyn decided to stop Cadel from his g able to dodge, so he grabbed the boy's arms, pulled Cadel towards him, and gave Cadel a bloody nose with a headbutt. The two continued trapping until two other head slaves pulled them apart.

"You are to flogged without mercy! You hear me! Without mercy!" The bloodied Hurtyn cried as he was pulled back.

Will and Ayden ran to their friend's side.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Exclaimed Will.

Cadel put a hand on Will's chest.

"Don't worry," he said simply . He turned to face Hurtyn, "do your worst, Hurtyn."

The big Teut snarled at this, for someone had told him what it meant to be called a hurtyn.

"Without mercy," he growled lowly.

* * *

** Warning!: The following scene contains graphic violence**

Erak, Svengel, Horak, Borg, Arne, and Torsten walked down the road to the harbor. They had with them their weapons and some money. Borg, Arne, and Torsten would leave on _Wolfsbreath _while the rest left with

As the were walking, Erak got a peculiar feeling. Like he was being watched. Just then, a band of twelve men leaped from in between the houses with swords and axes in hand.

"Weapons!" Exclaimed Erak..

His men drew swords and axes as the twelve men charged at the them.

Erak parried the first sword strike in the shaft of his axe. He then grabbed his attacker on the back of his head. Pulling him off balance, Erak brought his axe through the other man's chest, drawing the fight's first blood. Meanwhile, Borg, using his two axes, cut another man down while blocking attacks from another man.

Bjorn made sure to introduce his fist to an attacker's face before cutting him down with his sword. Meanwhile, Arne's sword was a blur of shining light as he dodged men's attacks and cut them down with ease. As Borg sent another man to the corpse hall, a man with a large axe charged at him from behind. Borg likely would be been doomed if it had not been for one of Torsten's arrows embedding itself in his chest.

Horak sidestepped an axe stroke before swiping his own axe into his attacker's knee. As the man cried out in agony, Svengel finished him of with a sword thrust to the throat. Horak and Svengel nodded at each other and continued fighting.

Erak swung his axe in a sweeping, sideways arc, throwing an enemy swordsman to the ground in a red cloud. An axeman came up behind Erak. The massive jarl turned and swung his axe in a brutal downwards cut the vertically split the offender's head open.

Borg sidestepped a sword thrust and sent one of his axes into the man's throat. As the man choked on his own blood, Borg watched Horak embed his axe in the side of another man's head before engaging in single combat with none other than Tostig, one of Slagir's most loyal followers.

Tostig aimed an overhead cut at Horak's head, which Horak parried on his axe shaft. He used the opening to kick Tostig in the chest. Slagor's man recoiled.

"Is that all you've got?" Tostig goaded .

"Even if it was, I don't think I'd have a problem beating you," Horak replied.

Horak put all his power behind a sidehand strike, which Tostig dodged back from. Horak tried another sidehand, but once again was evaded. Tostig used the break in his enemy's defenses to make his own attack. He aimed a blow at Horak's neck. It landed. Barely cutting through the side of his throat.

Horak's beard quickly began to turn red as his blood sprayed from the wound. He tried one last desperate attack against Tostig, but the other man cut into the wrist Horak swung with, causing him to drop his axe as the tendons in his wrist were severed. Tostig ripped his axe from Horak's wrist and kicked the stricken warrior to ground. He brought his axe above his head to deliver a crushing, finishing blow. But the blow never landed. Instead, one of Borg 's axes embedded itself in Tostig's chest. The grizzled old warrior had thrown one of his axes and now strode angrily to retrieve it.

"You would intentionally deny another warrior Valhalla!" Borg yelled enraged, " you're spirit shall wander eternally! "

Tostig, who had crumpled to the ground, now looked afraid. Borg ripped the axe from Tostig's hands and tossed in far out of reach.

"No!" Cried Tostig, "have mercy, I beg you!"

He received no response other than Borg's other axe in his chest. With that, Tostig drew his last breath.

While this had happened , Erak had run over to Horak's side. Meanwhile, Gundar had fled. He had mounted his horse and was now riding as fast as he could. Torsten shot arrows after him but it was no use, he had escaped. Gundar's men, however, were being massacred. Another man fell to Arne's sword as Svengel thrust his sword through an enemy's chest. Once Bjorn had killed the last enemy, they all gathered around Horak.

"My... axe," Horak managed to speak through the blood that was choking him.

Erak quickly reached over and grabbed Horak's fallen axe and placed it in his dying friend's good hand.

"Hold on tight," said Erak , "and we shall meet again in Valhalla."

Horak held onto the axe in a death grip until his eyes closed forever and he took his last breath.

the street was dripping red with blood and covered in bodies. That was where Ragnak and his guard found Erak and his men when they responded to the chaos. That was where Horak Guthfrithson had died.

* * *

Evanlyn's meeting with Will, no matter how short-lived, had done wonders for her spirit. She couldn't help but smile. When Isabella asked why she was in such high spirits, she responded with one word, "Will."

She thought back to when they had first met in Celtica. At first, if she was honest with herself, she was taken by Horace, what more could be expected of a princess? He was a knight in shining armor, noble and courageous. But soon, Evanlyn discovered that Will shared those knightly qualities with Horace, only even more so. Not to mention she found him extraordinarily cute.

She truly became smitten with Will an the fissure, when Will had selflessly stayed behind to make sure the bridge burned. In an act of love and the inability to watch Will's plans fail, Evanlyn to had gone out to keep both sides of the bridge lit.

Now, even as she had been brought across the sea and sold into slavery in a frozen wasteland, she knew that, given the chance, she wouldn't have done anything differently.

* * *

Will and Ayden watched in horror as Hurtyn mercilessly flayed Cadel's back. Each crack of the ship followed by a grunt of gasp of pain. His back was now a mess of cuts and welts. Will and Ayden winced at every crack and every cry. After fifty lashes, Cadel lost consciousness. The shipping continued until Hurtyn tired of it and turned to address the crowd.

"No one disrespects a head slave," he said fiercely, " anyone who helps him in any way, " he pointed to Cadel, "shall receive the same punishment as he did! "

Hurtyn grinned at Will.

"Toss him to the ground, " Hurtyn ordered, "with luck, he'll freeze to death overnight."

Cadel was tossed face down into the snow, he lay there, completely unmoving. Will and Ayden stared at Hurtyn, appalled. They couldn't believe that a man who was himself a slave could be so cruel.

"Back to work!" I care ordered from his watch post.

As soon as Will was out of sight from I care or the other slaves, a big man pushed him against a wall. The man had a wooden baton in his hands. Before Will had time to react, the baton cracked against his head and he was stars. When the beating was finished, a bucket of ice water was poured over him by another man, both of whom Will presumed to be head slaves. He was then shoved away.

"Get back to work, runt," one of them called after him.

Will stumbled through the rest of the day until he collapsed on his burlap blanket. He was tired, co ld, and injured when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Will jerked away suddenly, expecting a fight. Though the man who had roused his was clearly just another slave.

"Here you go, friend," he said warmly , offering a small bag to Will.

Will took it carefully..

"What is thus? " he asked harshly.

"Open it," said the man.

Will opened it to find a dried plant of sorts.

" Eat it, " said the man, "it helps."

"With what?" Will inquired.

" Everything, " the man replied enthusiastically.

Nervously, Will put the plant into his mouth and immediately began to feel warm, inside and out. Had Ayden or Cadel been there to warn him, perhaps he never would've accepted the plant, for they had seen it destroy many good, enslaved men . However, Cadel was outside, lying face down in the as and Ayden was in the same condition as Will.

"What is this?" Will asked eagerly .

"Its Warmweed," the man answered , "and it's what keeps ."

**To Be Continued...**

**(A/N: About halfway through writing this chapter, my laptop decided it didn't want to have a fully functioning keyboard anymore. So, I've been writing on my tablet. Until I get this issue fixed, uploads will be a lot less frequent, sorry.)**


	13. Mortal Peril

**Prisoners**

**Chapter Thirteen**

** "Mortal Peril"**

** disclaimer: I do not own _Ranger's Apprentice _or any of its characters**

**(A/N: I've been trying to steadily put the focus back in Will and Evanlyn, as I feel I've gotten too sidetracked with Side character and subplots. Though, the focus will really be on Will and Evanlyn in the next chapter. I'm very excited to be writing that one!)**

Only three people were in the Great Hall. Ragnak, Borsa, and the Pictish prince whom Borsa had bought.

"I have good relations with the Scotti," said Ragnak, " which clan do you belong to? "

"Macgregor," the big replied stiffly.

" Ah, you're Robert's boy!" Ragnak exclaimed.

"How much will your father pay for your ransom?" Borsa inquired.

the Oberjarl's aide sat at his right hand.

"A very large sum, I assure you," answered the boy.

The boy had dull red hair and pale skin. He was a handsome boy, with the face of a king.

"What's you're name, boy?" Ragnak asked.

"Fergus," the boy replied, " Fergus Macgregor. "

"Well, Fergus Macgregor," said Ragnak as he folded his hands in front of him, " I think you are going to be very useful to us. "

* * *

Cadel lay in the snow, completely still. His back was a mess of cuts and welts. As he lay there, a large shadow was fast over him. It was the slavemaster Ivarr. Ivarr stood over the slave and threw a bucket ice-cold water over him. Cadel jerked awake violently. Gasping for air, after regaining his breath, he sat up

"Get you work, you useless whelp," Ivarr snarled.

As the taskmaster walked away, a friendly hand reached down to Cadel. He took it gratefully and Will pulled him up to his feet. Ayden, battered and bruised, was right behind Will, who, despite being similarly bruised, seemed more upbeat and rested than he had ever before.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Cadel asked with a groan.

"I can't believe you guys have been here so long and not tried it!" Will announced, "I mean it's so obvious."

"What's obvious? The fact that you're a loony, " Ayden quipped, "I mean, what the bloody hell are you on about?"

Both boys were similarly confused by Will's apparent state of health an energy.

"Were you with Evanlyn again?" Cadel asked with a teasing smirk.

Cadel could see, in his mind's eye, Will sneaking out past dark with his ranger skills to see his love for a couple of minutes, who knew, perhaps he had been doing that the whole time.

"Warmweed, " Will answered as if it were obvious, "I tried warmweed."

Will's two friends'faces quickly turned from confusion to shock. What shocked them more however, was his Will hadn't even reacted to Cadel mentioning Evanlyn, or the prospect of being with her.

"You... You took warmweed?" Inquired Cadel, who couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.

"Why wouldn't I?" Will asked, now he was the confused one.

"Damnit!" Ayden exclaimed, " we should've warned him!"

The Hibernian threw his arms up to the sky, as if asking for divine intervention.

"Warned me? About what?" Will was genuinely confused.

"We've seen too many good people go into a dark place because of warmweed. They never escape," said Cadel darkly, "don't make that mistake."

"We've seen in a hundred times! It starts out well for the poor bloke but then it spirals out control until all they can think about is their next dose, " said Ayden desperately.

Will scoffed.

"I'm a Ranger," he said arrogantly , "I can handle it easily, after all, I'm used to taking things in moderation. And, who knows, maybe I'll be able to use my rejuvenated energy to free Evanlyn and I. Oh, and you two, of course" he added as an afterthought.

Cadel and Ayden looked at each other desperately. This... person standing before them was nothing like Will, who they'd gotten to know over the past several days.

"I hope you're right," said Cadel lowly, " for all our sakes. "

Just then, Ivarr bellowed at the three boys to get to work.

"Once more into the fray," muttered Cadel as he went about his work.

* * *

**One Week** **Later...**

* * *

Evanlyn hauled a a heavy sack of garbage on her back. It contained mostly old and spoiled food. She grunted as she dumped it into one of the heaping garbage piles. As she went about her second task, which was to bring in more firewood from the rack that was conveniently right by the door, a Yard slave walked around the corner with a bundle of firewood for the rack.

"Oh, can I take that?" She asked the stumbling slave.

The boy, who was covered in dirt and grime, just looked at her in a dazed and confused manner.

"The wood," Evanlyn clarified.

The boy held out the bundle obediently and Evanlyn took it from his hands. When she got closer to him, she noticed something familiar about the shock of brown hair on his head and his eyes, those deep brown eyes were Will's. They were the eyes that she had so deeply loved to look into.

She dropped the bundle of wood out of pure shock.

The boy before her was Will! Will, who had been so optimistic and loving, had been reduced to nothing more than a shambling wreck.

"Will," she whispered weakly.

the boy didn't even acknowledge her. He just looked at her as if he were in a trance.

"No, no, no," Evanlyn begged as she slowly backed away, "wake up, Will! It's me, it's Evanlyn!"

she felt fears start to sell up in her eyes. the light of her life was dimming. Suddenly, the door behind her opened up to reveal Isabella.

"Evanlyn?" Isabella asked, " what are you doing? Come inside. "

Evanlyn ran inside, leaving Isabella to bring in the wood, which she did. Evanlyn collapsed against the wall, letting her fears finally flow free. Isabella, after putting the wood in its proper location, turned to comfort the younger girl.

"What happened to him?" Evanlyn walked as Isabella warmly hugged her close.

"It happens to most of them," said Isabella solemnly.

Evanlyn just buried her head deeper in Isabella's shoulder, wanting to be enveloped in her motherly embrace. Even so, the horrible sobs continued to wreak through the despondent girl, who's love was in mortal peril.

* * *

Will shambled back to work. He had just seen the girl he loved, but he didn't care. His friends had given up on trying to curb his addiction and had installed him to rot.

"Best of luck, mate," Ayden had said, though Will's mind had started to deteriorate already from the drug.

Cadel had put a hand in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he had said, "we should have warned you. We care just can't handle seeing another of our friends call into an addiction that leads invariably to their death. I hope you understand."

But Will didn't care about any of that now. All he cares about was when he would get his next hit of warmweed.

Nevertheless, beneath the fog of addiction, he could still faintly hear Evanlyn's voice, calling him back.

* * *

The _Wolfwind _and _Wolfsbreath _arrived in Raekby. It was a large town by Scandian standards, it had a large dock, like all coastal towns in Scandia, as well as multiple taverns to meet the large demand for drinking that was universal in Scandia. Raekby was Erak's seat of power, while Osby and Thorkby were ruled by two of Erak's skirls. Borg had control over Osby while a skirl known as Ragnar the Pale ruled Thorkby. Though, since Erak had been away waging war in Araluen, Erak's wife, Hilda had been ruling in his stead. Raekby, like Hallasholm was positioned in a fjord.

Erak had the good fortune of arriving in a clear, sunny day. As the two ships neared the village someone just have seen them and alerted the rest of the town, for, when the returning sailors docked, they were greeted by an enthusiastic horde of the town's people. Wives exited to see their husbands. Children waiting to see their fathers. The amassed people gave a great cheer when the men jumped down to the dock and tied their ships.

The crews of both ships rushed ashore their loved ones. In the chaotic mix, Erak was his wife, graceful as ever, walking towards him. Hilda was a beautiful woman. She had long, lustrous blonde hair and striking ice-blue eyes. Her skin was unblemished and she wore expensive, soft clothing fitting for the wife of a great jarl. The two met in a loving embrace.

"I missed you," Hilda whispered sweetly.

" I missed you too, " responded Erak.

Normally, he was seen as gruff and unfeeling, however, when he was with his wife, he was as sweet and loving as any man.

"How are the boys,which?" Erak asked.

"As rowdy as every," answered Hilda with a smile, " they take after their father. "

Erak and Hilda had , the elder was named Erak after his father and the younger was called Sigurd, after Hilda's late father.

Erak turned to address the crowd which was in the middle of.

"Today is a day for celebration!" He bellowed , "Today we feast."

The crowd cheered. There was nothing a Scandian loved more than a good feast.

" to the hall!" Erak exclaimed, his voice, which was accustomed to having to bellow over the fierce winds and waves of the sea, was more than loud enough for all those gathered to hear.

"To the hall!"

* * *

Hilda had anticipated that there would be a feast upon the return of her husband and his men. She had ordered the kitchen slaves To put together a mighty feast. They had prepared a meal of succulent mutton and pork chops. Vegetables had been put in pots and boiled to perfection to complement the juicy, flavorful meats. And of course, the best ale in Raekby had been brought up from the cellars.

There was an exited clamour in the hall as everyone found their seats at the tables. Slaves rushed about with trays of glistening mutton and steaming vegetables. The ale flowed freely. From a raised dias, Erak and Hilda, on their respective chairs that were draped in furs, watched the festivities unfold.

"This, my dear, is just what I needed," Erak said to his wide.

Hilda beamed at her husband. She saw her son's talking animatedley with Arne and Torsten. The boys were enthralled by their tales of battle and glory. Erak the younger was fifteen, almost old enough for his first raid. He was shaping up to be a great warrior like his father. Both boys had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like their parents.

"I'm just glad you're back safe and sound," she responded.

Erak's expression darkened. He still had to announce the imminent threat of war with Olaf and Slagor. For he was certain that war would come since Gundar and Tostig had attacked him in

" What's wrong, " inquired Hilda, who was now concerned.

Erak rose to his feet without a word. Several people in the hall turned to their jarl, curious to hear what he had to say, however most occupants continued talking, eating, or drinking.

"Attention, everyone," Erak bellowed over the noise .

The hall instantly fell silent.

"I have an announcement," Erak continued, " we are going to war with jarl Olaf! "

Immediately, there was a cacophony of questions being hurled at Erak. Many people were enraged that there would be war so soon after the send of another war.

"Quiet!" Erak bellowed.

Silence once again reigned.

"I should say, jarl Olaf is going to war with us!" Erak amended his statement, "jarl Olaf 's men attacked my men and I in Hallasholm! They killed Horak Guthfrithson!"

!any onlookers gasped in surprise.. They had noticed Horak's absence, though they had not known his true fate. Erak, however, had privately informed the late Horak's wife of his bed husband's demise had come about.

"Are we going let an unprovoked attack and murder go unpunished?" Erak asked the crowd rhetorically .

"No!" The occupants of the hall yelled out in reply.

"Of course not!" Erak bellowed.o

Just then, the hall 's doors were thrown open. A man was being escorted in by two guards that had been placed at the door.

"Who are you?" Erak called from the dias.

"I'm a messenger from Oberjarl Ragnak, jarl Erak, " the stranger replied.

"Ragnak? What in the bosses does he wang?" Erak exclaimed.

" He wouldn't say, " said the messenger, "he only said for me to fetch you and bring you back to Hallasholm."

Erak growled. He was enraged, to put it mildly. He knew that war was coming an had, at the very least, wanted to be with his family until everything went to hell. He meanders to embrace his wife.

"I love you," he said as he kissed her cheek.

"You've only just gotten back," Hilda responded sadly.

" I know, " said Erak sadly.

He hugged his son's as he left the hall with the messenger. He also stopped to address Borg.

"Rally the men of Osby and Thorkby with us here as Raekby, get Ragnar the Pale here," he ordered.

Borg nodded in affirmation.

And so Erak left for Hallasholm once again.

When he left the hall, he noticed the method by which he and the messenger would be returning to Hallasholm.

Horses.

"Oh great," muttered Erak darkly, "Why is it always horses?"

* * *

A day had past since Evanlyn had seen Will ruined state. Thoughts of him had kept her awake all through the night. Later that day, she saw him once again. She had seen him working outside the kitchen and decided to give a loaf of freshly-baked bread.

She had approached him as if nothing had happened. As if their last encounter had been nothing more than some horrible nightmare. However, as soon as she offered his the bread he took as if he were an animal and savagely devoured it. When he had finished the bread, he went back about his work, paying absolutely no mind to Evanlyn.

Isabella had seen the exchange, if it could even be called that. She had been a mother of three in Gallica before being taken into slavery, so it was in her nature to try her best to keep Evanlyn from harm. At that moment, it seemed Will was causing her great amounts of mental harm.

"Forget your man. The drug had got him. He's already dead," she had said.

Evanlyn's response was a chocked: "how could you say that?"

That night, Evanlyn resolved to save Will. She didn't know how, it she knew that she couldn't and wouldn't leave Will to his fate. A cold, lonely death. She would move mountains to save him if she could.

She knew that the odds of success were astronomically low and that the chance of death or discovery was incredibly high. But that didn't deter her. Not for even an instant. She's work out the plan eventually, but she would save Will nonetheless.

it's quite a wonder what one will do for love.


	14. Author's note

**Hello, everyone! **

**I have a couple of announcements. First of all, my laptop works again! I just bought new keyboard and hooked it up to my laptop so that I can type again. That means that writing will be made a lot easier because I won't be writing on a tablet that auto corrects "boy" to "big" and "of" to "if."**

**Secondly, I've decided to go back on a couple of the more recent chapters to add in some more moments for the Will and Evanlyn relationship, since that is,after all, what this whole story is based around. It'll really just be "fluffy" moments of one thinking about the other. That being said, I think it is important that the story keeps its focus, no matter how unimportant the added moments may seem.**

**These chapters are "Chevaliers and Slaves" and "The Fall" as of now.**

**Dioch, Spartan 259**


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